


Providence

by KLO



Series: Causality [1]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, F/M, Slow Burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-18 01:44:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 48,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7294486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KLO/pseuds/KLO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy Lewis, woman of many titles.</p>
<p>Political Science Student. Lab assistant. Music lover. Taser Queen. Tony Stark's illegitimate daughter.<br/>She wasn’t even supposed to be doing this. When shit hit the fan, she was apprehended by “Coulson & Team” to assist with the takedown of the power hungry asgardian, under Natasha's watch during the Battle of New York.</p>
<p>Helping out Thor, fine. Helping stabilize the flying shield base via computer, that’s fine too. Getting pedestrians out of the way of the angry aliens, also fine. </p>
<p>Stabbing the magical glowing square with an insane man’s mystical staff to close a portal to the city and stop invading Aliens from overtaking New York?</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>That was not something Darcy wanted to be a part of.</p>
<p>Time Travel? Even less so.</p>
<p>Waking up in 1942, she realizes that she needs to find Howard Stark and get back home, single handedly shaping the future and meeting some important people along the way.</p>
<p>Important people like James Buchanan Barnes.</p>
<p>Slow burn Bucky/Darcy fic. Key changes to Canon MCU to work around a Time Travelling Darcy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She wasn’t even supposed to be doing this. While Jane had been whisked away to Vienna from Erik and the crazy Loki army of mind controlled beings, Darcy had simply been apprehended by “Coulson & Team” to assist with the containment of Loki and to calm Thor down. Ever since it was released that she was the illegitimate daughter of notorious playboy Tony Stark, shield had really been keeping an eye on her.

And not to mention that when word gets around you can drop the God of Thunder with a single Taser shot, they think you’re hot stuff.

Helping out Thor, fine. Helping stabilize the flying shield base via computer – it was _her_ head on the line, that’s fine too. Getting pedestrians out of the way of the angry aliens was turning into a right proper job too, so that was fine. Nerve racking and otherwise uncomfortably close to the chaos, but fine.

Stabbing the magical glowing square with an insane man’s mystical staff to close a portal to the city and stop invading Aliens from overtaking New York?

No.

That was not something Darcy wanted to be a part of.

But there she was, following Selvig’s instructions and Natasha’s guidance while she fought off kamikaze aliens attempting to stop the two from completing their goal. Selvig must have had a moment of clarity and texted Darcy the failsafe to shut down the machine harnessing the Tesseract. Natasha managed to hijack a flying scooter and bring the two women to the top of the tower, Loki unaware of what was transpiring beside him after the Hulk took him down.

So here she was. Fighting an energy of magical nature and forcing a staff through the barrier of the machine with what muscles she had. She was sweating profusely, focused on the task at hand. Once the staff finally penetrated the protective shield around the cube, she cried out in success and raised her arms into a triumphant Rocky pose before being slammed into the machine from Natasha’s latest victim. She lost her breath and tumbled onto the machine as it tipped over the edge of the building, staff forgotten behind.

With the ground approaching rapidly, and she tried hard not to think about how she managed to get where she was at that exact moment. Regrets forgotten and unable to think of any clever quips to go out on, Darcy braced for impact. Tensing her hands around the machine and closing her eyes, she only hoped that there were no cameras focusing on her fall so Jane wouldn’t have to watch her plummet to her death trying to help a bunch of fools in capes. The price of saving the world, she mused.

Before meeting the earth she could hear the colossal shout of _“NO”_ from Thor, and an exclamation from Rogers once he caught onto what was happening.

Meeting the concrete, the machine crumpled within itself and released a thick, blue light, swallowing her whole.

Darcy never hit the ground.

 

  
**Chapter 1**  


 

She hit a cold metal floor instead.

Hitting her forehead and elbow simultaneously, she hissed in pain and rolled onto her stomach to stifle the ache of her arm. 

Lying still, Darcy realized that she still felt…whole. She was certainly still breathing, the ground beneath her vibrating, and the pain was certainly proof she was alive. Clarity struck and she realized the darkness must be a one of those freight cars, like one on a steam train. A horn blasting a second later confirmed her theory.

“What, am I on the afterlife express or something? Fuuuuuck,” she moaned, rolling over onto her back and staring up into the darkness, thinking intently of the events that had just happened to her.

She wanted to cry, scream – anything. But all she could do was breathe deep and let the sounds of the tracks below her calm her nerves.

It was cold, she thought. Dressed only in leggings and a light coat, the cold metal floor began to creep through her thin layers and chilled her skin. She finally made the effort to sit up, eyes adjusting to the darkness around her. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and used the screen to scan the room she landed in, avoiding all thoughts of how she even got there. One thing at a time, Darcy. She noticed there were zero bars of signal, and her phone wasn’t even picking up a Wi-Fi signal or the LTE network.

“If that stupid blue cube messed my phone up I am going to be the biggest pain the ass SHIELD has ever known” she mumbled to herself, turning her phone to the lumpy mass beside her.

Wherever she landed, alien dude that hit her down a building came with her. She kicked him with her booted foot and confirmed that he was just a body. She turned her attention to her surroundings once more, finally standing, putting her hand out to the wall to balance herself.

She was obviously in a storage train cart, because there were only wooden crates around her, all marked up in a different language. She tried to crack one open, but the boxes that were accessible were all nailed down. She took a couple of pictures of the boxes, if only for comfort and distracting herself from her unusual predicament.

Checking her phones battery, which thankfully was still in the 90s, she turned the flashlight on to find the door to the freight car.

“Oh Great! A door that only opens on the outside!” She said sarcastically. She was cool as a cucumber on the outside, but the lack of phone signal and the currently dead alien friend chilling on the floor were really testing her nerves. She needed out of this dark freight car sooner than later, claustrophobia was setting in and she was 100% certain she must a concussion because her front temple was throbbing so hard she swore that the room was pulsing.

Sitting on a crate, she scanned the car for a third time with her flashlight before the train started slowing down, horn blaring. Was she ready for what was on the outside of this car? Temple still throbbing, Darcy felt the sharp taste of nervous bile creeping at her throat. Concussion and nerves were against her now and she realized she was scared, terrified even, of whatever was out there. She turned the flashlight on and tried to listen beyond the cars walls. She could hear mindless chatter and what sounded like a busy stop, but what was louder was the creaking of a door right outside the cart she was in.

She stood up and felt her way into a small space between some crates close to the door, preparing herself for as quick of a getaway that she could muster. Whoever was outside was speaking German. She didn’t know what but she was at least familiar with the language enough to know that’s what they were speaking.

The door swung open and two uniformed men, armed and helmeted flooded the entire car with daylight. From where Darcy was crouching, she scrunched her face to protect her eyes from the sun and listened as the two men erupted into loud screams and toppled over each other to get out of the car, going through the doors they just came through at a full sprint.

Oh right. The dead alien.

Darcy got up and slipped through the door, climbing off the linked cars and getting onto the platform of the station. It was busy, but there were no people crowding around waiting to jump onto the train, in fact – people had started to evacuate the station without looking back.

Wherever Darcy was, it certainly wasn’t New York. There was a sharp chill to the air, and she still wasn’t getting any signal on her phone. She walked towards the entrance and quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her. The other patrons of the station were just silently looking at the train, and they all watched as soldiers stood around the car that Darcy had managed to escape from.

She noticed right away the red band that was around the arm of every member of this military. It was embossed with a swastika.

Where the hell was she? What the hell was going on?

Not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to herself, she turned back around to the exit and started to walk calmly to the street outside. She could hear the angry shouts of the presumably German Army behind her and the sudden screams of the people waiting for the next train as they open fired on the group of bystanders.

She ran out of the station as fast as her feet could carry her. She swallowed her bile and avoided looking anyone in the eyes. Many people were going the same way as her, trying to escape the screaming and shooting. Soon after, the train horned blasted once again and she could hear it depart. She stopped outside a worn down building to catch her breath.

Looking around, it was hard to say where she was. Everyone around looked depressed and worn down, ragged clothing on everyone and it was hard to find a single sound other than sirens making their way towards the train station. Whatever talking that was above a whisper was in another language. It reminded her of German, but there was a lot of unfamiliar slang present. It reminded her of when Selvig would go in a trance while working, speaking gibberish.

She gathered her bearings again and started to think, throbbing headache and nausea be damned. She walked like she knew what she was doing, and she was quite aware that for her environment – she certainly didn’t fit in. Everyone around her seemed to be in dated clothing, and she had yet to see someone on their cellphone or ipod.

Darcy’s mental checklist started forming rapidly as she looked around for the most government friendly looking building she could see. She walked by a long lineup of people waiting for a grocery store to open when she was hit with a wave of Déjà vu.

She had seen this exact building before in a textbook. A history textbook.

The old clothes, the dated buildings and lack of activity from cars or people – the lineup outside the store, the Nazi armbands, the nuances in language around her…she grabbed a newspaper from the garbage on the street, glancing over the large headline and found the date on the paper and nearly blacked out.

She was in Oslo, Norway.

_1942 Oslo, Norway._

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Norway, 1942_

Darcy started hyperventilating. Some people in the crowded lineup had taken notice to her distress and began whispering among themselves. She was rustling through the paper, taking in the images and trying her best to decipher what was happening in the world at that very moment. Here she was, barely recovered from a near death experience and apparently 70 years in the past with a near fully charged phone, no signal or resources and a knack for bad luck.

If she _was_ in 1942, which she was honestly starting to believe, she didn't have much time. According to the newspaper it was October 18th and Nazi Soldiers were well on route to Norway to bring the Holocaust to detain, deport and murder many of the 2000+ Jewish people hiding out in the country. Even though her memory was still hazy and she hadn't quite processed the events of the past hour --

_Has it really only been an hour?_ she thought, glancing at her phone screen quickly. She turned the phone off, deciding it would be best to preserve the battery power for future use instead of walking around trying to get cell service where there were quite literally no cell towers in the world. Not to mention that the phone itself seemed to be gathering quite a lot of attention from the crowd. 

A couple of people in the crowd were getting too close to Darcy for her comfort, so she folded the paper up and stuck it under her armpit. Heading down the street looking for a place where she could sit and gather her bearings long enough to start formulating a game plan, she lucked upon what looked like a Library. Walking inside, she sighed a breathe of relief and instantly commandeered a free table so she could finally take a well deserved moment to attempt to understand her predicament and start figuring out a solution. 

She picked up a pencil from an adjacent table and started writing in the free spaces on the edge of the paper. After she had filled in much of the blank spaces with her chicken scratch, her head fell in her hands and she stared at her very unstable series of notes. Thank goodness she accepted Jane's graduate assistant offer, or else the physics involved in her situation would be so far beyond her understanding she'd probably have a breakdown. But if meeting a man from another world had proven anything to her - there was a lot out there that she didn't know about yet, so anything was possible. 

Her notes were scattered, out of order but all important. Darcy needed to find a way to America. Or at least find herself associated with one of the major players on SHIELDs side during the war. She was fully aware that her grandfather was in America preparing for Stark Expo. She had circled that a few times and emphasized the importance of the Expo, understanding that if anyone could help her figure out a way home - it would be Howard. She wrote a few other names she had remembered from school, like Margaret Carter, Chester Phillips - 

"Oh my god!" Darcy shouted, slamming her hands on the table and receiving a sharp shush from the librarian at the front desk. 

"Sorry!" she said in a loud whisper, fervently writing down a named she couldn't believe she forgot: 

_Abraham Erksine_. 

Darcy knew from the files she had 'accidentally' accessed while trying to find her unreturned belongings from the New Mexico disaster that Abraham was the scientist that was directly responsible for the success of the "make Steve Rogers a hulking mass of eye candy" project in 1943. But before that he fled from Johann Schmidt, first capturing the attention of the American Secret Service when he managed to sabotage am apparent Hydra recovery operation to bring him back. 

The operation occurred in Norway, and Darcy wasn't a hundred percent sure when the event happened, but she certainly knew that he was collaborating with Howard Stark nearly the moment he landed in the US. And that she really quickly needed to draw some good ole fashioned American attention to herself if she was going to find safe passage out of a soon to be place of genocide. 

Oh god. The people here, they had no idea of the horrors that were about to happen to their country. They probably had some sort of idea that Nazi Germany wasn't going to be coming in with the circus, bring laughter and lollipops. She wondered how bad it would be to try an change the past before she managed to get home. 

_But if you change the past, what kind of future are you going to make?_. 

She tried her best to ignore the feeling of guilt that began to settle in her stomach. Honestly, she thought, how much would anyone believe a strangely dressed girl with weird technology and no proof of her existence who would be ranting about the monstrosity of the German Army. 

_Well shit._

She sat in the hard wooden chair staring at her words intensely until her eyes started to hurt from the concentration. She was a smart, savvy girl with knowledge of events that had yet to happen. She could get herself out of this, she thought rationally. In the last year she had dropped Thor with one hit, fought his crazy brother, saved countless SHIELD agents from plummeting to their death in a flying death trap and fought invading aliens - and now she had lived through time travel. 

She was a badass. With her newfound (and probably overconfident) upbeat attitude, she grabbed her newspaper and started to head back to the outside world. Where ever she was going to find a way home it most certainly wasn't waiting inside a library. She swung the door open and slammed immediately into an unaware person staring into the street in front of her. The two of them both fell to the ground and slid down the few steps the entrance to the library held. 

She was getting pretty sick of the universe throwing her into people. Her paper fell to the ground and her phone flew out of her pocket and slid across the sidewalk. She could hear the moan of discomfort from the man she toppled into, glancing at his person as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his slacks. He put his hand out to her and helped her to her feet, brushing her shoulders off your her and looking at her face with a slight smile. 

"Går det bra?" he asked in Norwegian. Darcy's eyes bulged and her lips pulled tight. Right, she didn't know what the hell she was saying. 

"Sorry dude, I don't speak anything other than American. I can butcher some French for you but I still won't know what you're saying" she said with a light laugh at the end, the guy in front of her breaking into a wide smile. 

"American, huh? What's a pretty thing like you doing here?" he fired back in English, accent thick and heavy but still easy to understand. He flashed her a big smile and she about melted. 

English! Darcy could cry. She had butterflies of happiness fluttering in her tummy. It had barely been a couple of hours since landing in the freight car but she was a pessimist by nature and assumed she would have to learn German or Norwegian to get anywhere. Thank goodness, because she didn't know if she had enough patience to learn a language while also learning how to bend the rules of time and physics to get home. 

"Oh stranger, you just made my day. You don't even _know_ what I've been through" she said with a tone of relief, grabbing her phone from the sidewalk hopefully before cute Norwegian guy caught a good look at it. She whipped around to face him again, he held her paper and was reading the scratch notes she had made in the margin. The top of the paper fell over his hand and she glanced at the top of the paper. 

The name ABRAHAM ERKSINE in her pencil, circled 6 times stared at her upside down. The cute mans elated face had morphed into a look of confusion. He caught her eyes once more and asked her again, which more force this time: 

"What is a pretty thing like you doing here?" 

Shit. 

She stared at him for a moment, eyes large and words unable to come out without making her look like an idiot. The jovial mood she held for that fleeting moment was long gone. Frustrated by the lack of answer from her, the man took a forward and his right hand came down sharply at the base of her neck where it met her shoulder. The pain shot through quickly, and she felt her legs crumple below her weight, eyes rolling behind her head and lids slamming closed Darcy passed out. 

What a great day this was becoming. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know how any of the dates worked around Erksine fleeing and getting to America so I'm making it up the way that works for me!
> 
> The Holocaust did make its was to Norway, not a lot of people realize it - I recommend taking the time and reading up on it since I will not be focusing on it too much in this story.


	3. Chapter 3

Darcy woke up with a shiver. 

It took a few moments to realize the situation she was in. She was handcuffed by both hands to the chair she was in, with no coat or shoes. Her glasses were missing too, and there was a throbbing ache where the guy had hit her before blacking out. She groaned from the blood rushing back to her head, closing her eyes to try and prevent the blurry room from causing an even worse headache. She couldn't even differentiate the wall from a door or even if there was another chair on the other side of the table she was facing.

She whipped her hair out of her face and groaned, bending her head over the back of the chair, staring now at the blurred ceiling.

"Helloooo?" She whined, speaking to whoever might be listening. "If I had to go to the bathroom, could we work out a deal?"

She heard static and a couple of short breaths from what sounded like an intercom with a bad connection.

_You will not be leaving this room Miss._

Oh. Tough guys, eh? Darcy had about enough of the last...however many hours it had to be now. She was done since the last morning she remembered, when Phil told her that she'd be present on the flying super SHIELD boat.

"Oh, okay then. Do you prefer me to pee in my chair or can I at least pee in a corner? This is going to be a problem dude, I can't stop nature." Darcy sassed to the direction she guessed the intercom was in. A couple seconds of silence and then a door latched open and a figure came through the door and lowered himself onto what Darcy assumed was another chair on the opposite side of the table.

Darcy wasn't about to go down easy. "Wow, hello massive blur! You don't look much like a toilet. I need a toilet, care to help a girl out?" She smiled at the end, oping that she didn't look too desperate, but really - she did need to pee.

"How do you know who Abraham Erskine is?" questioned the figure who sounded an awful lot like cute Norwegian Spock.

"I'm sorry massive blur, but I don't answer to your kind. Maybe if I had my vision back we could have a real conversation."

The blur rustled a bit and reached over, hands coming into focus as he put her glasses back on her face. Blinking away the blurry room, Darcy took a quick note of her surroundings. One decent sized window on the left, very reflective and probably 2-way. A door that cute Spock came through, 2 chairs and a single table.

And Darcy's scrawled on newspaper, glaring her in the face. She decided to try and play dumb. Hopefully her concussion would come in handy.

"Who?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and refusing to look the man opposite from her in the eye. 

"Dr. Abraham Erskine. How do you know about him?" he asked again, putting both of his hands on the table. Darcy could feel his stare. She needed to play this right. If she didn't find the good Dr. before he left for America, she was going to have a problem and most likely get caught stuck in Norway with no resources or language skills to survive.

"He's a doctor. I like doctors?" she feigned, attempting to lighten the mood as she prepared her hopefully convincing lie of a backstory to get her kidnappers to help her rather than arrest and detain her.

"So this is your newspaper then?" he said with a cocky smirk, finally getting Darcy to look at him. Her face burned red.

Shit. Her concussion effected her more than she thought, she walked right into that. Maybe she could tell the truth? It was far-fetched but maybe the insanity plea could help her out in this situation. Living in a crazy house for the rest of her life would surely be more fun than a prison.

 _Or._ She could make herself useful.

"Yes. It's my newspaper." She admitted, leaning back in her chair and trying to keep her cool. Sweating through her shirt wouldn't make her look as convincing as she needed to be right now.

"So I will ask you again miss-"

"Darcy." She cut off, "Darcy Lewis."

He looked at the window and made a subtle nod towards it. Looking back at her, he brought his hands together and folded his fingers.

"Shall I ask you one more time?" he inquired, speaking a bit firmer than before.

"I know about Abraham because I know he escaped from Johann Schmidt." Darcy said, figuring that was enough information to start with. She couldn't say 'oh, just my history books strange man! See I'm from the future and just let me tell how I got here!'

"Are you affiliated with Schmidt and his involvement in the war?"

"Ew no. He's gross man. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time I think."

The interrogator snorted and drew his lips into a thin line.

"This isn't a game, Miss Lewis. You are being labelled as a hostile individual."

Darcy frowned, and let a light smirk rest on her face.

"Dude, you know how fast I go down. How am I hostile?" She asked him, trying to gain some footing on the conversation.

"I'm not going to tell you anything, but when we find you, obviously an American woman, in strange clothes armed with a weapon and information on a member of the protected service - you are listed as a hostile."

The door opened and a uniformed man walked in, walked to the interrogator and whispered something in his ear. The turned around and left, shutting the door behind him. The man across from Darcy held a dark look on his face as he brought his attention to her once again.

"Where are you from, Miss Darcy Lewis?" he asked her.

"America"

"Be specific"

"Ohio." she answered, prompting the interrogator to nod once more to the window. Someone responded with a double tap. He looked at her.

"You lie."

"Amish country, dude. You'll find zilch on my family. We're off the radar"

Man was she glad she took Anthropology in University. She learned all about Ohio's Amish country, she was just wishing that she remembered enough to convince this guy that she was born and raised Amish.

He didn't look like he understood what she said, and his confused look glanced at the window again. A single tap.

"How did you hear Schmidt discussing Erskine?" he questioned, bringing them back to the task at hand.

"Okay man, hear me out on this because it's going to sound _super_ ridiculous. Because looking at me, you gotta believe that this Nazi Schmidt guy totally wouldn't willing tell me any secrets of his. I mean, why would he?"

"Get to the point"

"Okay okay, so basically, I eavesdropped. Turns out Schmidt is a loud mouth" she desperately tried to remember the file she read on him in the top secret SHIELD database. "Anyway, he found this...cube. The cube is supposed to be Odin's, and it's supposed to be all full of magic and shit, and it'll make like...you have superpowers or something?"

Spock just looked at her with a look of disbelief. Well, it was better than anger, so she continued.

"Anyway, this stupid cube thing was found in Norway. I read about this stupid cube thing and thought it would be helpful for the US Army, but they're sexist as shit and I figured they wouldn't listen. So I essentially hitchhiked my way across the ocean and found myself in Norway. But I was caught, and stupid Schmidt just had me locked away for like...however long. You messed with my brain with your magic Spock powers and I already had a concussion so you don't get anything from my short term memory" she huffed, looking indignant, pouting her lips.

He seemed confused by her Spock reference, but she wasn't about to do him any favors.

"Why are you here?"

Darcy figured it was time to play hardball.

"I'm not telling you anymore. I need to know if the Dr. is here."

"You don't get to make demands. Tell us what your weapon is." slamming his hand on the table, Darcy jumped into the back of her chair, handcuffs rattling. 

Weapon? What weapon? Taser was in future New York, and her pepper spray was probably still nestled in her purse. Which was _also_ in future New York.

"Whaa?"

"Your glass square. What weapon is it?"

Ooooh, her phone. Shit. Another complication.

"That's a fancy calculator."

The look he gave her would have been funny in any other situation.

She attempted to explain further. "No really! I can turn it on and show you, it's awesome, Super fast." 

"Why are you here?"

"Well I didn't pick the stop, but I woke up just before the soldiers got out and shot all those people and figured anything would be better than being a hostage of Nazi Germany."

She hoped that he would agree with her. It was near painful holding back her usual attitude.

They sat for a few moments in silence before he got up and started to leave.

"Bye Spock!" she called out, getting him to stop briefly and catch his foot. Without Star Trek, she knew the name made no sense. Back to the insanity plea!

She wasn't left alone for long however, because the next guest made her sigh in absolute relief.

"Dr. Erskine!" she cried out, smile lighting up her face. He looked at her with a quizzical face and sat down, taking note of her odd state of dress. He looked her over for a few moments before asking,

"Why exactly do you want to speak with me young lady?"

If she was going to get anywhere, she would have to bring the big guns out.

"I know about the Red Skull." she said, watching Erskine's mouth fall open. 

"And I know about the Super Soldier serum. I know how to help you make it work"

She always was an all-or-nothing kind of gal.


	4. Chapter 4

Darcy splashed cold water on her face and let the water drip off as she put both hands on either side of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She was a mess. Gaunt and dehydrated, she looked ill. The stress of her predicament was going to take 10 years off her life. She had just laid it all out on the line, and she hoped it would work out in her favor.  
“What. A. Fucking. Joke.” She spoke to herself, gaining a side eye look from her armed chaperone. They had just spent a wonderful bonding experience together in the bathroom, Darcy first peeing – then flushing, turning around and dry heaving resulting in a mere bile spit up as the events and conversation she just had with Erskine caught up with her.

Rule number one of Time Travel: Don’t get involved.

**_2 Hours Earlier_ **

After Darcy’s admission, the silence was awkward. She was usually good at breaking them but she really needed Dr. Erskine to believe her and take the situation seriously.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other, settling his hands in his lap. 

Gently, almost too softly, Erskine asked “What is the Red Skull?”  
She frowned. Did she have her timeline wrong? When did Erskine assist Schmidt with his wacky version of the Super Soldier serum? If the train she was on was leaving Norway and it was before the massacre, Erskine should have escaped 2 months earlier once Schmidt turned into Red Skeletor. Was the SHIELD info wrong?

Bluff your way out Darcy. You got this, she thought to herself.

“You know what I’m talking about Erskine. Red. Skull.” She hissed the last two words to him, unsure if Schmidt’s condition was known to his conspirators, AKA Spock and the whoever was behind the 2 way mirror.

His eyebrow perked up, but he said nothing. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m talking about Mr. ‘Good luck getting a date again because his head is just a big red tomato skeleton with buggy eyes and no lips’,” her fingers still doing air quotes from their handcuffed state, she stared at the good Doctor.

He snorted air from his nose and shook his head, but still said nothing, simply analyzing her. She felt like she was being picked apart and it was beginning to get on her nerves. She still had to pee, and the long breaks between words was making it difficult to ignore. So she broke the silence.

“You know what I’m talking about, it’s hard to explain it. So I’ve dubbed him “Red Skull”, and trust me – that’ll catch on. Your serum worked on him Erskine,” she pleaded, “but the serum amplifies a person’s strongest features – that’s why Schmidt looks the way he does now. Because he’s a bad person, so the serum reacted the way it did on him.” 

Erskine looked like he just had an epiphany. His mouth opened and he brought his hand to his top lip, other hand grabbing his elbow and leaning on the table, legs now uncrossed. 

Had he not come to this conclusion himself? It was in the file, after all. That was why they chose Steve Rogers, all American good boy.

Oh god. Maybe _she_ was how Erskine figured it out. There was only 2 people he applied the serum to, after all, how did he come to the conclusion otherwise? Shit. Darcy was starting to sweat, was she changing the future or helping it happen? She would need to be more careful, but careful usually wasn’t in her vocabulary. 

Impulsive, yes. Cautious? Hell no.

The silence hovered once more. She looked at the newspaper on the table and saw her thankfully _mostly_ illegible to everyone but her chicken scratch. Did Erskine know about Howard?

“Who are you working with Dr. Erskine?” she inquired, finally realizing that she had no idea who had interrogated her earlier was affiliated with. He was focused, thinking about the recent realization of his failed experiment. She asked again, waking him from his stupor.

“You are being held in a Rebel facility in Norway, they are currently aiding certain members of the population to a safe zone from the Nazi’s” he replied. Darcy assumed he was talking about the Jewish Refugees. “I personally am working directly with the US Army, I’m due to leave in a couple days. I have made a proposal for them that they were unable to refuse.”

Okay. So Spock was from the Norway Underground, helping good people outta town before chaos struck. She still wavered on the “don’t tell anyone” stance she took earlier regarding warning the country of what was to come at the end of October.

“Have you been in Contact with Howard Stark?” Darcy asked him, watching as he stood up to walk around the room.

“I’m not at liberty to say, but judging by what you know – you don’t need me to confirm anything for you” he mused, humour present in his voice. Either things were going to get really good or really, really bad for her. There was no reason for him to think this situation was a place for funny.

“If you have been, I need to get to him. That little thing you guys think is a weapon is for Howard. He’s going to need it – technology that is going to change the world and honestly, he’s going to be the only one who will understand how it works.”

Darcy couldn’t believe that came out of her mouth. So smart, and unlike her to persevere under pressure. She might not have finished her Physics degree, but she would find a way out of this.  
“You mean the glass rectangle?”

“Yea! It’s more than just a calculator, actually, it does everything you could ever want it to do, but it’s not going to work unless we get it to Howard. I don’t even know how well it works but I…stole it from Schmidt.”

Please believe her. She was flip flopping all over the place, desperately trying to prove her worth to the Doctor. She was still scared, for good reason, and the endgame was still “get back home”. Without Ruby Red slippers (AKA Abraham Erskine), there would be no clicking of the heels.

“You’re telling me that you were abducted by Nazi’s when you went looking for the Cube in Norway, managed to overhear Schmidt discussing his procedure _and_ managed to escape his clutches by jumping off a train?”

Darcy nodded dumbly.

“How do you expect me to believe that, from such a little girl?”

“Because how else would you expect me to know what I know? Do you really think that Schmidt and I would hang out over tea and discuss all his top secret plans? Look at me man, I can’t even say _nein_ without making a German shudder – see! You just did there” she said, voice rising at the end.

“Honestly Dr. Erskine, you have met with Schmidt. You, out of everyone should know that I just got my nose stuck were it didn’t belong. There is no way he would ever jeopardize his operation so he could throw you or anyone else off his trail and gain headway for his selfish plan. I simply stuck around for some important information because I knew once I was caught, it would be hard for me to try and convince someone the help me.” She said, pleading at the end. Most of what she said _was_ true, after all. 

He contemplated what she said and rested his hands on the back of his chair, staring at her.

“Alright.” He stated. Short and simple, Darcy liked that.

“Alright what?”

“I’m willing to consider that what you are saying is true. You don’t seem particularly desperate or capable of harming my plans – and what you do know doesn’t stop with what you’ve just told me. I’m not going to question you further right now, but I’m going to see that you get your things back. Not your…fancy calculator, as you’ve called it. Understand that we must take precaution here.”

Oh thank god. Somehow she pulled this success out of her ass. Thank the ever loving spirits for her ability to somehow come through under pressure at the last second. Her hands were sweaty with anticipation and she realized that she still badly needed to pee. It was getting painful.

“Dr. Erskine, I’ll tell you whatever you want – can you just let me pee? Preferably in a toilet, I don’t actually want to pee in this chair…”

His eyebrows rose and he looked at the 2 way mirror. A single tap against the window and an armed, uniformed young man walked in, nodding his head to Darcy and Dr. Erskine. He walked up to Darcy and unlocked her handcuffs, grabbing her by the forearm and dragging her up off the chair and out of the room. 

He took her to down a hallway and tossed her into a room on the right, a couple doors down from the room she was just in. He walked in right after her.

“WHOA Buddy, this isn’t a peep show! Get outta here! This is my personal time!” Darcy shouted at him, poking his chest. It didn’t help that she was only in socks and hand to regain her footing from poking his rock solid form. He looked down at her with a distinct ‘really?’ expression on his face.  
Well, it really did make sense. She probably came across as a crazy person in that room (did that mean she was successful? What was her endgame again?). If she was in their position, she’d probably want to watch the crazy person pee too, just to make sure they weren’t going to crawl out the vents or drown themselves in the toilet bowl.

“Could you at least turn around? I’m not looking to make new friends this way dude” she said as she spun her pointer finger in a circle, indicating the movement she would like him to meet. He complied, like a gentleman.

“So considerate” she said under her breath, unbuttoning her denim and pulling her pants down. Once she was done her business, she flushed and watched the water go down as she did her pants up. Wow. Her life was currently like this toilet.

Spiraling out of control. 

She collapsed on her knees and dry heaved, causing the soldier to turn around and take a couple steps towards her. She put her hand up as a signal to not come any further and he just stood there, watching her cough up bile as her stomach convulsed. 

And now, here they were. Soldier engaging in a stare down at the side of Darcy’s head, Darcy engaging in a stare down in the mirror.

She could do this. She was a strong, savvy, confident woman. She was from the future! She knew what was going to happen and she was going to have to play her information in a smart way. 

Staring at her herself, Darcy could see and feel her eyes getting glassy. The sting of tears building up. She tried to look up to avoid letting them fall.

Why couldn’t she just catch a break? Why was her life such a crapshoot? She thought about the hardships she had already endured in her short life. Like being raised by her single mother, watching as she held 3 jobs to keep Darcy in the accelerated school to nurture her brain. Public school just didn’t challenge her like she needed. Then, when her mother was killed in a hit and run accident crossing the road when she was 13, moving from foster home to foster home before finally becoming emancipated from the state to graduate 2 years early from high school and go to University on a near fully paid for scholarship.

Then changing majors 3 or 4 times, unable to forgive herself for her passion for science that led to her mother cutting across traffic to make it to work to pay for her schooling. She settled on Political Science with a minor in History – which is how she met Jane. She figured it would be easy to satisfy her thirst for theoretical physics by applying for the graduate assistant position offered by Jane.

But that led to Thor. Which led to her first encounter with Loki. And then, after all _that_ shit, Jane and Selvig managed to convince her to be entered into the SHIELD database for her own protection.

Then the real shit storm happened. Accosted by Coulson, she was brought to ‘The Man’, Nick Fury, and told that she was the biological daughter of Mr. Tony Stark. 

_“What do you want to do with this information Miss Lewis?” Fury had asked her, letting her process the information for a bit._

_Coulson and Fury had just stared her down, expecting her to break down or freak out. Instead,_

_“Does Tony know?” she inquired, remembering how clenched her hands were._

_“No.”_

_“Don’t tell him, don’t tell anyone. It’s a bit late to be buddy-buddy with him, and honestly – I don’t want to have anything more to do with you people. Just let me go home” she demanded, standing up and finally looking Fury in the eye._

And that was that. Even when she finally got to meet him on the Heli-Carrier, he simply made an inappropriate joke about her breast size (which then led to a big baggy t-shirt and coat to try and keep those comments under control) and promptly ignored her existence. Just the way she wanted. She didn’t want to open that can of worms, he didn’t seem like he would care too terribly much about her.

She’d rather just do what she’d been doing since she was 13. Make it work on her own. She had Jane now anyway, and they had a nice thing going – like two sisters and she was sure Selvig would be back to being the male role model the two of them both needed once he was completely free from Loki’s magic mind trick.

She didn’t need Tony Stark, and she’d rather not burden him with the knowledge of her existence. She would never be prepared for the consequences of him finding out. 

After her mini life crisis in the mirror, the turned to face the soldier, who was picking at his middle fingernail with his thumb, trying his damndest to remove some dirt under it.

She coughed into her hand to get his attention, and smiled a bit at his startled look. He opened the door and gestured with his gun for her to take the lead out of the bathroom. Instead of taking her back to the interrogation room however, she was being directed farther away. Dr. Erskine popped out of another room and gestured with his arms for both Darcy and the Soldier to enter, with him following right after and closing the door.

It seemed to be remnants of an old hospital room. There was a clock on the wall. Holy crow, it had been nearly 8 hours since she crash landed in the past, which meant it was getting quite late. There were about 8 beds in the room, privacy provided with some sheets hanging from the rods in the ceiling. 7 of the 8 beds had been claimed, bags at the end of the bed indicating lack of vacancy. Dr. Erskine sat on a bed closer to the middle, and directed his attention to another bed across from his. Darcy’s coat was lying on the bed, and her shoes were neatly tucked under the frame.

The soldier muttered a “go” to Darcy, and she found herself mindlessly walking to the bed and sitting on it, looking to her right at Dr. Erskine, who spoke.

“If there is one thing I pride myself on, Young Darcy, it’s my ability to trust the right people.” He said to her with a small smile. “You confused and frighten me, but I see that no one here is more confused or scared than you. I’ll trust you for now little one, but be certain that we shall always have a soldier present around you until you prove that trusting you is the right decision.”

Darcy nodded her head, understanding the situation. Erskine stood up again and left the room. The soldier remained focused on Darcy. Her stomach rumbled as she peeled off her dirty socks. Crawling under the blankets of her tiny hospital bed, she turned away from the soldier so he wouldn’t see her cry before sleep claimed her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Darcy woke up to a tray being slammed down on the table next to her bed. She woke up in a stupor, eyes blinking away the sleep and she pulled her hair behind her ear. Sat up and noticed that a few people were sleeping in the room, but Dr. Erskine was not. 

Looking at the tray, she lifted the lid and found some muesli and a cup of black coffee a stale bun. While she usually enjoyed eating sweeter breakfasts (see: Poptarts), she was starving. She inhaled her gruel and drank the coffee down so quickly it took a couple seconds for the heat to register and she hissed and blew air out of her mouth to try and cool it down.

Picking at her bun, she looked at the soldier by the door. She caught his attention by waving her hands like a maniac and he looked at her.

“Hey soldier dude,” she said quietly, as to not wake the people sleeping, “I stink and need a shower, like right now” she emphasized her need for a shower by fanning under her arms with her hands, causing the soldier to blush faintly. He nodded for her to come over, and she stumbled out of bed, putting her dirty socks and boots back on, grabbing her coat as she was led out the door. The soldier came upon a woman in the hall, and said a few words in a different language. The woman opened a nearby closet and pulled out two towels and handed them to Darcy. The soldier said a couple more things and the woman glanced over Darcy’s figure, nodded and turned heel down the hallway.

The soldier and Darcy walked down a set of stairs, and through a door to the outside. The sunlight burned her eyes, and she put a hand up to block the sun from blinding her permanently. The soldier pointed her to a series of outside showers, framed by wood with old, tattered curtains blocking people from peeking. She noticed this must be where people like her got to shower. At this point she didn’t care.

Stepping through the curtain and onto the grate, she noticed there was only a single pull chain above her head, connected to the shower head. Darcy’s wishful thinking of a warm shower was dashed. She stripped down, shoving her socks and underwear in her back pockets of her pants, hanging the clothes up on the hook on the outside of the shower so they wouldn’t get wet. The chill October air made her shiver, and she pulled the chain, activating a stream of lukewarm water on her head. It wasn’t as cold as she expected it would be, thank god.

She realized too late, she had no soap. Hair wet, she popped her head out of the curtain and shouted out to the soldier about her situation. He shouted something to someone inside, and 5 minutes later, Darcy was given a plain bar of soap. She understood it was wartime, so she wasn’t about to complain about the lack of luxury hair items. She lathered up the bar of soap and started to try and wash her hair. After she had done a complete once over on her exhausted body, and all the soap was rinsed out of her hair she stood in the empty stall, shivering from the cold wind hitting her back. But it kept her alert, and the fresh air was worth it.

“Young Miss Lewis!” she heard, she poked her head out of the curtain once more. Dr. Erskine was standing beside the soldier, waving. “Come inside quickly! We have much to discuss.”

She nodded him and got a move on getting dried and dressed. She heard a knocking on the post beside her, and she shout out a nervous “yes?” in reply. She tightened the towel around her body and went to open the curtain, but a hand shot through with a lumpy bag. She took the bag, looked in a did a giddy dance when she saw a tub of dentifrice and a new tooth brush on top of some clothes. She never would think that dental care items would be the best present she ever received. Completely dry, she dug through the bag. A fresh pair of underwear – completely unflattering but clean, stockings and a simple long sleeved button up dress that looked like it would meet her knees. She did her best to get dressed without getting anything wet, then she placed her dirty clothes minus brassiere, in the bag. She took out the dentifrice and wet her toothbrush with the remaining water drips from the shower head.

Frothing up the ‘toothpaste’ Darcy scrubbed her teeth with the harsh brush like she was about to visit the dentist. She knew her gums would be bleeding. She spat, opting not to dare rinsing her mouth out with shower water, and walked out of the shower towards the soldier. He nodded at her and opened the door. 

Directed to a new room on the same floor, Dr. Erskine was pacing around reading a medical textbook. Noticing her entrance, he put the book down and walked over to her. The soldier placed himself beside the door, watching Darcy.

“Young Miss Lewis! I’ve been working around your theory about personality traits being amplified by the serum! You’re a genius, I don’t know how I missed it before!” Erskine said, his accent getting a bit strong from excitement. He grabbed either sides of her arms and looked her in the eye. Darcy noticed that he wasn’t very much taller than him. Her hair was still wet, dripping lightly on her back, and the Dr. removed his hands and wiped the dampness off on his pants. He turned and walked to a desk, grabbing a large hair clip from a drawer.

She accepted the gift from him and put her hair up, taking a look around the room. It didn’t make much sense. It was essentially half office, half garage science fair. Test tubes boiling over burners, containers of fluids collected on nearby shelves. There were a couple of open suitcases with unfolded clothes haphazardly thrown in them. 

“What room is this?” Darcy asked the Doctor.

“This is just my study for the moment. But you and I will be departing for America tonight, so I am afraid I must abandon it.” He said, piling some papers together and jamming them into a briefcase.

“What? I get to go with you?!” Darcy cried out, relieved at the news. She was a step closer to home.

“Young Miss Lewis, your ability to see what I have missed in a moment proves you are valuable. To me at least. You and I will be working together until we can find out what to do with you. You are American, yes? Consider yourself my American Guide.” He said smiling at her, noticing her childlike excitement and relief at the prospect of going to America.

“Thank you very much Dr. Erskine, you don’t know how much this means to me. I appreciate your trust and taking this chance – I’ll help you with whatever you need and I promise I won’t let you down!” she said with fervor, taking his hand with both of hers and shaking it. Dr. Erskine laughed gently at her, and released his hand from her grasp, gesturing to a sofa chair next to them. She took one of the seats, and Dr. Erskine sat in the chair beside her, pouring himself a small glass of brandy. She was offered a glass, but denied – she was already parched, alcohol would make it worse.

“How much do you honestly know about the Serum, Young Miss Lewis?” he questioned, staring ahead at a large map on the wall.

“Honestly? Not much. I know that you’ve nearly perfected it, and Schmidt needed the cube to provide the energy to support the…injection?” Darcy was looking for the right word, she didn’t know exactly how Steve became the Captain, but she assumed it had to get in somehow. “As for the amplification of personal traits, that was something I gathered from our Skull Friend.” She twisted her fingers together, looking at the same map across the room.

He nodded his head. “Sometimes great developments in the scientific world bring nothing but trouble.”

Thinking about her own problems with the world of science at the moment, she released an indignant huff of agree, the two of them meeting eyes for a short laugh. 

Darcy was impressed by how quickly she became comfortable with Dr. Erskine, she was trying to remember all she could from his SHIELD file, but for some reason it had ended after his involvement with Steve Roger’s transformation. She assumed he had just settled down in America after the war and became a hermit. She would remember to read up on him when ( _if_ ) she returned home. Leave some flowers on his grave or something, because there was no way he’d be alive 70 years from now, he was already an aged man.

She realized it would be like that for everyone she met in this time. Many people were probably going to die, she would need to work on pretending she had a steel heart. Even Howard Stark – he would live through the war, but die in a plane crash on his way to the Pentagon with his wife in the passenger seat, in 1991. How close should she get to these people? She wished she could tell people about her predicament.

“Young Miss Lewis, if we were going to implement the Serum Program, or what you called it, ‘the Super Soldier Program’, in America, who would be your ideal candidate? What features should we focus on?” He asked nonchalantly, stirring his glass of brandy in the ice by circling the glass in his hand. He downed the remainder and poured himself another drink, not offering Darcy a second time.

“You know what Doc? I can do you one better,” she said, catching his eye, mouth morphing into her famous smirk. “I know exactly where we’ll find the perfect candidate”.

Erskine raised his brows and smiled from Darcy’s statement. “Oh?”

“Have you ever been to Brooklyn, Doc?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howard's death has been changed on purpose for future plans.
> 
> Dentifrice is an old way of brushing your teeth. It's the OG toothpaste.


	6. Chapter 6

Darcy and Dr. Erskine managed to waste most of the afternoon packing up his study and going to the kitchens preparing sandwiches for lunch before finishing up.

"Are you really taking all these boxes overseas?" Darcy asked the doctor, putting a lid on one of the chests, sitting on it to squish the contents enough to latch the leather straps closed for travel.

"Not all of them, Young Miss Darcy, many of these will be shipped to fake destinations to deter Hydra from following me. I'm afraid I've angered some very scary people." He told her, closing the last drawer on the now empty desk and taking a look around. There was an echo to the room now, all the knickknacks burrowed away somewhere, his voice resonating off the walls.

"I'd say." Darcy muttered, struggling to pull the chest over to the pile of packed items. She suddenly realized a new dilemma - what the hell was she going to wear? The same Denim leggings and drab grey dress? No shampoo or conditioner? Honestly, if she wasn't going to get some of that soon, she was going to have to have a very drastic haircut. 

She figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, even just to say that they would need to at least get her more socks or underwear. Augh.

"Um...hey Doc?" she asked quietly, playing with the edge of the strap on the chest, Erskine paused and looked in her direction. "I have literally all I own in that bag over there-" she pointed to the burlap bag that the soldier gave her to put her soiled clothes in. "And honestly, I don't think it's really all that hygienic to swap between one pair of socks and one pair of stockings...not to mention my other...underthings." She cringed at the last word. 

This was like discussing your period with an adult for the first time. Both knew it was coming, neither wanted to bring it up. It was inevitable. Erskine pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his right hand, and folded his arms across his chest, blushing a bit before chuckling.

"Don't you worry about that, a soldier here has already been assigned to pick up a few outfits in your size and another pair of shoes. Your boots are...peculiar and might grab unwanted attention."

What, was there a problem with her many strapped knee high grey boots? Obviously the 40s weren't about making bold fashion choices.

"Ah, thank you very much. If I ever come into some money, I'll try and pay for the things...but I think I've realized that I'm quite helpless and have no useful skills or connections. Huh. That's pretty sad when you say it out loud.” She considered, face contorting into a grim smile.

“Young Miss Darcy, think nothing of it, really. I trust you’ll be more useful to me than you think!” He clapped his hands together and looked at the doorway letting out an excited “Oh good! You’ve arrived! I assume everything is in order?” 

Darcy whipped her head to the doorway and saw a mousy looking woman carrying in a single suitcase, well used but still functional. The woman held a rather large file in her other hand and gave it over to Dr. Erskine. He shook her hand and sent her off. The Dr. brought the suitcase over to a couple of his suitcases and nodded at Darcy, then back at the suitcase. Oh. That must be her new “stuff”.

She got up to try and take a look at what they had collected for her and to swap shoes like Dr. Erskine suggested. The suitcase wasn’t crammed full, but there looked to be enough there to at least remain clean looking until she made it to America. She took out the worn women’s loafers and slipped them on. They weren’t a perfect fit, but they certainly fit the outfit a lot better. She also tossed in her light jacket and pulled out a thick cardigan sweater to wear instead. Her jacket was a fairly expensive looking thin pea coat, and it wouldn’t fit the image that the dress and shoes gave off. She found a ponytail in one of her coat pockets and slipped it around her wrist before shoving her bag of soiled clothes, boots and jacket into the case before locking it up.

She turned around to face the Dr., who was engrossed in his file. He was holding a tiny red book and in one hand, and the opened file in the other. She tied her hair back in a loose pony tail and said “a-hem”. The Dr. looked up at Darcy and she gave a small twirl, ending in a brief curtsy. 

“Finally suitable?” She said, big smile on her face. The Doctor returned her smile with a laugh and shook his head. He held the red book to her.

It was a Passport! She opened it up and saw a photo of her staring back. When did they get this? She was still in her old clothes, but her glasses were off and she kind of looked…unfocused. She looked at the Doctor. 

“What kind of picture is this? I look demented?” she said, cocking her head in vain, hoping it looked better at a different angle.

“That photo was taken immediately after you were apprehended. You came too for a quick second and your photo was taken for their records. Unfortunately, there is no time to retake it for you – so it’ll have to do.”

“That’s okay, it’s easy to look demented full time. I’ll pretend I’m Thor” she laughed to herself, imagining Thor’s face when something he didn’t understand about Earth would come up around him.

“Thor?” Erskine enquired, eyebrow cocked.

Shit. Recovery time Darce!

“Uh, you know – Thor? The God of Thunder? Meow-Meow? He doesn’t seem like he’d be too bright, what with the hammer swinging and such” she babbled out, trying to get off the topic. Damn you Thor, causing trouble when you aren’t around.

“Do you mean Mjolnir? His hammer? First Odin’s cube and now Thor…and you a Norse Mythology fan Miss Lewis?”

Oh yea. She was a fan. But only when his shirt was off. Most of the time he was just an irritation.

“Ooooh yeeaaaa, I love that stuff. Odin, Loki, Thor, Heimdall…etc…”she tapered off at the end, not wanting to seem too enthusiastic so that the good Doctor would want to talk about it until the end of time. She got enough of Thor in her time, he wasn’t going to be bugging her here.

“Fascinating! Personally I don’t know much, but because of recent events I do know some!”

Oh this Doctor was winning her over. They had only known each other for a very brief period of time but they got along like two peas in a pod. He was like a wise ole uncle and she was the fresh faced burst of life he needed to be reminded of the good in the world.

Darcy looked at her passport.

_Rose Mary Lewis_

Really? Rose Mary Lewis? What were the chances – 

“Hey Doc who picked out my stellar fake name?” Darcy asked, thinking it couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Pardon? Oh, Rose Lewis? I did. I though it suited you nicely!”

“Oh really? I was just curious where the inspiration came from, since Rosemary, all one word, is my real middle name.” She looked him straight in the eye, uncomfortable with the environment she had just created. He walked over to the door and made a gesture to the soldier to get out. “Just a moment, honestly” he said, Darcy barely picking up his words. He turned to face her again.

“Ah, well yes perhaps I should let you in on a little secret.” 

“You’re a mind reader?” She hoped, because that would literally solve everything.

“Ah, no, not quite,” he chuckled at her, bringing something out of his inner jacket pocket. Her phone! Oh god, her phone. Her non-working, music having, beautiful phone!

Darcy was sure she made a small noise of glee, because he laughed at her antics. “I’m afraid I took liberty of fiddling around with this Young Miss Lewis, and I must say – this is truly magic.” He held her iPhone between his thumb and middle finger, facing the black screen to her.

She didn’t know what to say. It certainly wasn’t magic to her, but she knew that it was mind blowing technology in this time.

“Er…it’s not magic?” Palms up, she lifted her hands and arms into a minor shrug to try and convince him that it really wasn’t as big of a deal he thought it was. “It’s really just…highly confusing technology. It’s actually a telephone, believe it or not.”

“And what on Earth is an Ohio born Amish woman doing with a piece of highly confusing advanced technology?” He inquired.

She dropped her arms and continued to stare at him. This was going to be harder to explain than she thought. She need to pull out her very best to convince him she was harmless. Maybe if she let him break her leg. How dangerous was someone with a broken leg?

But wait. If he messed around with the phone…and just ‘suddenly’ picked a random pseudo name for her that just _happened_ to be her _real_ middle name…what else did he find? Damn her for never putting a lock code on her phone. She could never remember them.

“What did you see on the phone?” She fired back at him, gaining a bit of confidence.

“I’m going to be honest, the…glass part, and the screen I suppose? Every tiny box was quite simple to understand – although I only touched a few. Imagine my surprise when my finger did all the work!” he seemed delighted to finally talk to her about her telephone, knowing that it must really not be a weapon. “But I found one box that was easy to read and understand ‘Pictures’.”

Darcy’s eyes grew wide. Please oh please oh please can he not have looked in the ‘lonely nights’ folder. The folder meant for drunk texting old boyfriends to make them, the sexting photos.

“I only looked at a few of the more current photos-“she released a huge sigh of relief and looked up to the sky, thanking whichever god was listening—“but I must say you lead a very exciting life Young Miss Lewis.”

He handed her her phone. She grabbed it and held it close. A bit silly, but she did miss the stupid thing, even if it didn’t work. The good Doctor continued.

“But I did notice quite a lot of differences from where you come from Miss Darcy..." he looked her in the eyes. “Perhaps you should consider telling me the full truth? I have my suspicions, but I would like to hear it from you.”

Man. _Maaaaan._ This was like those conversations you have with your parents when you disappoint them.

She sighed, sitting on the trunk beside her, trying to find the words to best say what he wanted to hear without sounding completely mad.

“You don’t have to believe me, because I wouldn’t in your position, but it’s true. I had no control over the situation and frankly if I’m honestly, I’m really pissed about the situation I’m in.” she tried to look him in the eye but couldn’t face his stare, so she looked slightly to his left instead. She took a big breath and exhaled her follow-up. 

“Doc, I’m from the future, 2012 to be exact, and I tried to destroy a magic portal made by Odin’s cube from releasing tonnes of alien invaders onto Earth and instead it swallowed me whole, transporting me to _this_ time, 1942, on a Hydra freight car and I knew I had to find you because you help with the soldier serum and meet Howard Stark and I think he’s the only one who can get me back home.” Her voice getting raspy at the end of her rant, she took in a few good breaths while the Doctor was staring at her. She smiled at his dazed face.

“Man, Doc – I don’t care if you think I’m crazy, because it felt so good to say that out loud.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any major changes that I've made are because I'm going to touch on them later. I don't remember how many changes I've made but I know they're there.
> 
> If anyone knows what passports looked like in 1942 for American Citizens, it would be cool to let me know since I only found one from 1939.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> America bound!

Expecting the worst from a conversation between two people where one lets out that they're from the future, Darcy was impressed Erskine handled the news well.

After her desperate attempt to convince Dr. Erskine of her origins, she was shocked when his reaction was simply an,

"I know."

Darcy was dumbfounded. How-

"Well no, I figured."

Oh.

"Your pictures, your clothing - your portable phone. You have pictures of you by the Pentagon, and it is still under construction!" Erskine exclaimed, clapping his hands together and walking towards Darcy. "While your situation is strange, unusual and hard to believe -- were I any other man I wouldn't believe you. But I have been present to great power, and have seen desperate men become monsters. I am not surprised eventually we would master Time Travel."

Darcy grimaced. "Well that's the thing Doc, we haven't mastered it. Me being here is kind of a slip-up". She elaborated a bit more, going through the basic events before she woke up on the freight car. Minus a few details like going in depth of Loki and her alien hitchhiker. The doctor was nodding in understanding and seemed to just brush off her explanation. He waved his hand slightly, dissipating her fears and he put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her above the rim of his glasses.

"Young Miss Darcy, I believe you. I've gone through some big things, like you, and I've had to overcome them. I want to fix them. And I realize now that I'm going to need your help if I'm going to get anything done. Let's keep this between ourselves for now -- this is information that's going to be a 'need to know' basis." 

Darcy was overwhelmed with both relief and gratuity. Her eyes filled up with tears and a small sob was released. The Doctor pulled her into a hug, and Darcy broke down. She cried because she missed home, cried because she missed Jane and Thor, cried because the Doctor was being so kind -- and she cried because she had hope. Maybe for the first time in the last couple of days, things were going her way. 

After she calmed down a bit, she backed away and wiped her tears away. 

"Now Young Miss Darcy, we need to get going. The truck should be here to take our things to take us to the plane. It only gets harder from here. Are you prepared?"

Hell no. But was she homesick and desperate? Hell yes.

She replied with a closed fist and a triumphant smirk, "Let's do this" .

__________

Seated in the middle of the bench seat of the truck she and Erskine climbed into, Darcy was going over her backstory that the two worked out.

Rose Lewis, 22 years old. Coming back to America from travelling to Europe to settle some family debt. Orphan. Raised in Pennsylvania by her grandparents who had just passed away 6 months prior. She sold everything. She had no home and no next of kin. Accepted by Dr. Abraham Erskine as an assistant in Norway. 

Yea. That's easy to remember. 

They were driving down a dirt road, and it was very dark. The driver was only going about 30 miles, Darcy was sure that was the fastest the truck could go. She kept drifting in and out of sleep, falling onto Erskine's shoulder as he looked ahead. Finally, as they reached a an open plot of land, the driver turned off the dirt road and drove over the bumpy terrain. Darcy finally woke up completely, and looked ahead to see where they were headed too.

As the driver slowed down, Darcy could make out a small airplane, the headlights of the truck flooding the side. There was no distinct markings that she could see, it was just a simple aircraft that looked like she could fly. Wow, Darcy -- great job, she thought to herself. Erskine got out of the truck and yelled out something incomprehensible over the rumble of the truck's engine. She thanked the driver and got out, going to stand beside Dr. Erskine. The side door of the plane opened and a thin pair of legs came out. Walking down the planes steps, Darcy recognized who came into view.

Agent Peggy Carter.

Yup, life was looking up again. 

"Doctor," Peggy started, shaking his hand. She looked at Darcy with a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Who might this young lady be?"

Erskine gestured for Darcy to come closer. "This young lady is an up and coming scientist in her own right, Agent Carter. She's already proven to be a great help to my studies on the serum. I trust her completely and frankly - I don't think I can complete the project without her. I've taken all necessary steps to ensure her safe passage back into America, if she can catch a ride" he grinned and Carter and she smiled back to him. The Dr. was an easy man to trust. Peggy turned to look at Darcy a little more in depth. She looked at her from head to toe before sticking her hand out.

"Agent Peggy Carter"

"Rose Lewis"

"I'll trust the Doctor on this one, but please don't make a fool out of him. Last thing we need is Howard chasing another skirt away" she said, lightly warning the young lady of Howard's nature.

"Oh boy, nothing to worry there. He is most certainly _not_ my type. He can dream all he wants but it'll just be of me running away" Darcy shuddered. Now she had to worry about her grandfather hitting on her. Cool, that was every girls dream.

Not.

Peggy laughed. The Driver had dumped all their items on the field and was helping Erskine load them into the plane. The two had words, shook hands and the driver nodded to Darcy before driving off. She waved goodbye even though he probably couldn't see her. 

The three entered the plane and Erskine and Darcy took a seat on either side of the plane in the first row. Peggy and the Pilot were in the Cockpit.

Before she knew it, they were up in the air en route to America.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, so flying over the ocean in a tiny aircraft during a storm was a brand new experience for Darcy. She didn't like flying to begin with, and that was usually on planes that were a lot more powerful and bigger than the plane she was in now.

Erskine was sleeping, the bastard. Darcy couldn't relax long enough to let sleep claim her. Peggy had not come from the cockpit and Darcy had no concept of time at the moment, but she knew it was more than a couple hours at this point. She was shaking her leg furiously, and her brow was sweaty from her nerves. She knew they would make it out alive (her friend Steve being solid proof of this) but it didn't make it any easier to calm down. 

So here she was, staring out of the window, looking at the very angry sky and kind of wishing Thor was there to dissipate the thunderous activity outside. Suddenly, the door to the cockpit opened and Peggy stepped out to glance at her two passengers. She smiled softly at the Doctor, before turning to Darcy and taking note of her nervous state.

"Flying is hard to get used too, isn't it?" Peggy asked the girl, voice laced with sympathy.

Darcy tried to shrug nonchalantly, "I've flown a whole bunch before, this flight is just...the most exciting one I've ever been on." Peggy frowned at her comment, and she quickly realized she said something really stupid. Commercial aviation wasn't popular until _after_ WWII. Shit Darce, you and your big mouth. 

"Of course those were all just little personal planes, teeny tiny ones not capable of long flights. And I guess 2 times before this isn't a 'whole' bunch" she said as calmly as she could. Peggy seemed to accept her story, because she sat in the empty seat beside her.

"So how did you meet Dr. Erskine?" Peggy asked, crossing her leg. It wasn't asked in an interrogation way, more like two girlfriends hanging out. It made Darcy relax a bit.

"I was dealing with some family issues in Norway - my grandparents died about half a year ago and their last wish was to be buried in the family plot in Norway."

She was seriously impressed by how good she could lie now. Maybe if she ever got home she'd ask Natasha for super-secret spy training.

Peggy followed Darcy's story with another question, "Where are your parents?"

"Oh, my father has never been in the picture - Lewis is my mother’s last name. And my mother died from a car accident a long time ago. She was struck in a hit and run"

Peggy sucked in her breath, "I'm sorry Rose. Losing parents can be hard." She didn't elaborate, but Darcy didn't really feel like she was alone in the orphan brigade anymore.

"So...you're a pretty big deal I assume. Saving Dr. Erskine, and myself by accident, which I really appreciate by the way. You have no idea how much you saved my hide.”

“I can see a woman like yourself getting in a lot of trouble, Miss Lewis, _never mind_ Nazi ridden Norway. That was awfully brave of you to travel on your own halfway across the world to fulfill your family’s wishes” Peggy said following up with a big smile, “if you’re strong enough to get through that _and_ charm Dr. Erskine enough to trust you, I think we’ll get along fine” she and Darcy both laughed lightly at her comment.

Darcy could see why Steve spoke so fondly of her, she was nice and came across very well spoken and intelligent. It was refreshing to know that there were women like Peggy in this time, she was sure she would have the support from her she needed when it came to fighting the gender expectations of the 40s she knew she would encounter.

“How much longer until we are in America? I have faith in the pilot, but I don’t have faith in myself to make it without having a nervous breakdown. I don’t know how the doctor is so composed right now...it's almost creepy" Darcy asked. Peggy checked her watch and did the math. 

"This is an express flight, so we're over halfway done already. I reckon another 8 hours and we'll be in New York." She replied. "Well, 8 hours give or take a half hour either way."

Darcy was surprised. New York so soon? "We're heading to New York right away?" she inquired.

"Oh yes, Howard insisted. He has a lab set up and ready for Dr. Erskine to begin his research and perfect his serum. Howard is very excited to be a part of this project. This is his plane we're in" Peggy told Darcy, "You'll be a big surprise though Rose. Science, looks and the trust of Dr. Erskine? Sweetheart you're in for some trouble! But a decent threat of physical harm and a stern look should scare him off. Don't let him intimidate you, he's really just a big pussycat."

Darcy physically shuddered. One more warning about getting hit on by her grandfather and she wouldn't need to worry about getting back home, because she was going to off herself. Anything would be better than the inevitable inappropriate behavior that she was going to be subjected to. Peggy laughed at her reaction, one hand against her chest and the other came to rest on Darcy's thigh. 

"You're quite funny Rose! You wouldn't make a good spy I'm afraid - I can read you like an open book!" 

Darcy tried to chuckle, but a grim smile came out instead. "Don't worry about Howard Peggy, I'll just have to handle it before he gets any ideas."

"I'm sure you will Rose, you seem like you can handle yourself. Now try and get some sleep before we land, we won't be hanging around the airport very long. This is a time sensitive matter. I'll see you in a few hours." She softly saluted Darcy and walked up to the cockpit, shutting the door behind her. And just as Darcy was about to mentally protest the idea of sleeping on this flying deathtrap, she closed her eyes for a bit too long and passed out.

____________________________________

Peggy led Dr. Erskine and Darcy out of the plane into the hanger. Just about every surface that didn't move was emblazoned with a _STARK_ logo. "I wonder where Tony gets it from" Darcy thought to herself, rolling her eyes at the narcissistic trait the two of them shared. Looking around the empty hanger, Darcy saw all the bags from the plane being loaded into a big, luxurious black car. The drivers side door opened, and Howard Stark made his appearance. 

Darcy could see where a lot of her looks came from. The dark hair with a slight curl to it, smooth and even skin tone - and her eyes. His might be a lot darker but they shared the same shape and held the same mischievous glint in them that she was known for. She couldn't help but smile at the realization, and for the first time ever she found herself a little interested in her paternal fathers side.

Howard made his pleasantries with Dr. Erskine, shaking his hand enthusiastically and thanking him for coming to America.

"Peggy!" He said in a jovial voice, turning to her and taking both her hands in his, "a sight for sore eyes! How lucky we are to have you back in the country. I swear, everything instantly got a bit more boring when you left" he smiled at her. Were she any other girl they would have melted. She rebuffed his flirting and went to guide Dr Erskine to the car, and finally Howard caught sight of Darcy.

"And who do we have here? I'm the famous Howard Stark. What's your nam-"

"I'm completely uninterested, don't even try it. I'm too young for you and frankly, I think we look like we could be long lost siblings or something and that's really freaking me out" Darcy spouted off, trying her best not to say "I'm your granddaughter from the future, you idiot!" and just placing a look of obvious disgust on her face.

Howard was dumbstruck. Silent, he opened and closed his mouth for a second or two before recovering.

"Pardon?"

"I'm Rose Lewis, Dr. Erskine's assistant. Peggy says you're not allowed to scare me away with your infamous womanizing or she gets full permission to serve your ass to you on a silver platter" she said smiling, taking his hand in hers for a firm handshake. "So if you're going to hit on me, you got to think real nice and hard if it's worth it." Finishing up with megawatt smile, she turned to follow the other two to the car. Howard, silenced once more, gave a look of disbelief to the pilot who simply shrugged his shoulders to the man before he made his way back to his car.

As Darcy was hauling herself into the backseat, she swore she heard Howard complaining to himself that Peggy was ruining all the fun girls in New York for him. She hoped he would just stay smart and stay away, because she was really hoping that she could learn a bit about her Stark heritage without leading him on. This was going to be one of the most difficult things she was ever going to do. 

Howard started the car and drove out of the hanger, Darcy looked excitedly out the window to old New York. She thought she might try to enjoy the view before tracking down a Mr. Steve Rogers, AKA Future Captain America. It had been a 4 day whirlwind for her, she deserved a well earned break from the chaos and confusion her life had developed into. But still, she was still looking forward to her current future, excited at the prospect of helping the creation of one of the most important men in America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's going to be a time jump for the next chapter. I think it's been established that Darcy had officially met everyone she needs to meet to find Steve and be considered an asset for the SS Project.
> 
> We need to meet Bucky, and I'm hoping that if it's not next chapter - it's the chapter after that.


	9. Chapter 9

Peggy wasn't kidding when she said that they wouldn't be"hanging around" for very long. After they arrived at Howard's Lab, he and Dr. Erskine immediately cranked it up to 11 and started working on the Super Soldier Serum. Peggy wished Darcy, 'Rose', the best of luck with dealing with both men as she left for the US Army Compound where they were currently testing top Soldiers who Colonel Chester Philips hand picked. Darcy had only smiled to Peggy when she told her where she was going, she knew it was going to be a waste of time after all. The Man that would eventually make the project a success was moping around Brooklyn somewhere. 

So Darcy stayed behind with the two Scientists. She had known a bit about the Tesserects power from Selvig and had succeeded in calculating the exact amount of power intake that they would need to power the machine, and had thankfully remembered how they had found a way to harness the power as well (thanks Steve, for your rambles about Howard's crazy schemes and experiments). And while it may not have been her major and she hadn't practiced Physics this intensely since High School, she remembered enough and caught on to theorems so quickly she shocked both of her associates when she doubled checked their equations and experiments. The three of them managed to find a healthy equilibrium together that nearly 5 months of steady work flew past. She was overworked like she had never been before.

When she worked with Jane and Erik, she was overworked, yes. But that was her getting the tools that Jane forgot, making sure that the two of them ate, drank and remembered the rules of basic human hygiene. Providing them with an outside perspective on life, one away from the rules of science. She was there to dance to "Mickey" and "Gloria", singing off key to bring the two of them back from the lurking pit of desperation and frustration. She was the comic relief to their trio, the one who surprised them both with her insightful nature to blend physics and reality without a hitch and pretend like she didn't know how she got there.

Working with two of the greatest minds from the 40's was a completely fresh experience for her. She came into the group without no ulterior motive or underestimation from the others. She was there to operate and perform magical science duties, and she was getting respect all on her own. She was proving her worth and reentering a world she left behind when her mother died. It was hard to feel guilty at this moment, she was performing a civic duty to her country, the world, and her future. Still unsure if her presence in the past was under the influence of fate. 

During her lonely nights in the suite provided to her by Howard, the one right next to Dr. Erskine, she spent a fair amount of time thinking about how she got here. Each and every time she had come to the conclusion that the impact from the ground had somehow startled the Tesserect into creating some sort of a wormhole - and with Steve Rogers being the closest person to her that had also once come into contact with the cube, maybe that's why she ended up where she did. But who knows. With magical space stones involved, would anyone really know?

Even with her contributions to the team however, sometimes there were gaps in what she could do. She tried to help Howard out with his upcoming Expo launch, but he was so nit picky and stubborn it was hard to work with him without the good Doctor present. She put those characteristics on her self made list of 'traits she got from her dad's side' and just let him be. Currently she was quadruple checking some algorithms that Howard and Dr. Erskine ad finalized weeks ago, but she figured that it couldn't hurt to check again. And _again _. She knew that Steve had been turned into Captain America in June of 1943, so it was just a matter of time before she would have to go out and find Rogers. He always said that he had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Erskine at the first Stark Expo, where he was finally given a chance at becoming a full fledged soldier.__

__"You look restless, Young Miss Lewis," Erskine said, interrupting her boredom thoughts. She was currently blowing a large bubble with her gum, feet on the desk, chair tilted back as she went over the paperwork in her hands. She slowly turned to the Doctor and gave him a fairly blank stare._ _

__"Really? You could tell?" She said, rolling her eyes and taking her feet off the desk. Now that there was less for her to do, the homesick feeling was creeping back. Not to mention she _was_ restless, it had been months since she had been outside. She was almost sure that if she went out in the direct sunlight she would burst into flames. _ _

__"Why not take a walk outside? It's a wonderful day. You've done enough and we understand our basic precautions before finding our potential soldier._ _

__Darcy thought about it to herself. She was savvy at New York in her time, and while there was less excitement and hullabaloo going on in this time, it was still kind of freaky. Old timey New York? Jeez._ _

__"You think I would be allowed to do that?"_ _

__Erskine shrugged, "I don't see why not. You've been very useful to us. Besides, It's dangerous to spend all your time with 2 old men in a laboratory. You're a beautiful young lady - we can't be the only people you interact with." He came over to Darcy and took the notes out of her hands, smiling. "Go outside darling, you deserve the break"_ _

__Darcy released a snort of air. What was she going to do? Where was she going to go? She gave Erskine a smile and got up, stretching as she got all the kinks out of her body. She headed towards the suites, giving the Doctor a smile and a "thank you". Would she take this opportunity to take an adventure? Old Darcy would have jumped at the idea, but after the collapse of a constant, steady reality for her she had tamed down quite a bit._ _

__Back at her suite, she washed her face and stared at herself in the mirror, making faces and analyzing the structure of her face, trying to find any imperfections. She huffed and the mirror and picked up some of the toiletries that Howard had provided her when she moved in. He saw her pathetic suitcase of donated clothes and instead made one of his assistants go out and stock her with a brand new wardrobe. His statement rang in her ears._ _

___If we're going to be working together, you gotta look good dollface!_ _ _

__She did appreciate his generosity though. She had a couple pair of shoes, many attractive and well fitting dresses and undergarments, even necessities like shampoo, conditioner and a small amount of makeup. She was never a big fan of makeup but she did love a good red lip and mascara. On most days that was all she wore._ _

__She decided to listen to the doctor and take a chance. She might as well go outside, she would just not talk to anyone. Why bother? It's not like she would be going on any dates anytime soon, or hanging out with girlfriends at the mall._ _

__She refreshed her makeup and ran a brush through her hair, pinning back a small section in the front to keep the hair out of her eyes. She decided to wear the same black pumps with the Mary Jane straps and cornflower blue dress, the one that matched her eyes. With her stockings and grey coat, she looked in the mirror at the outfit and thought she looked fairly put together. Not too terrible looking. She smiled in the mirror and did a small pose before heading to the secret entrance of the laboratory._ _

__Taking the long hallway down, she nodded to the soldier on guard and signed out before heading into the fake storefront. She nodded to the clerk and walked out, the cold March air hitting her face and blowing her hair around. She looked at the empty street, then at her watch. It was just after noon. Her stomach grumbled, agreeing with the time. She started walking down the street, figuring it would be easy enough to find a small cafe or diner to eat at. It would be so nice to east something that wasn't prepared from a sour nurse, boiling everything. It was terrible, but it was food and Darcy wasn't one to complain._ _

__She was taking in the scenery, looking down the street at the lack of graffiti and traffic, astonished that her powerful city could be so simple and quite in this time. She was sure it was busy for these folks here, but for her, she had the Avengers. New York wasn't quiet or simple at all. It was loud and exciting._ _

__She snapped out of her daydreaming when someone whistled at her from across the street. She froze in her step, looking around until she saw three men leaning against a car. The one that whistled held his hand up to her and smiled big. She frowned a bit, still returning the wave but carried on her path, shoving her hands in her pockets._ _

__"Hey Gorgeous! Where you going?" he shouted out. Darcy groaned. Men never changed, and Steve must be a one in a million dude because she was kind of hoping they'd all be like him. She chose not to respond, and attempting to keep going on. She looked over to her side and noticed that they were crossing the street. Stupid frikking 40's and their lack of taser technology. She could see a Diner on the corner of the next street , and her pace quickened,_ _

__"Hey, you're being rude beautiful," the big lug yelled out, catching up to her and grabbing her elbow. She lost a bit of balance and fell slightly towards him._ _

__"Hey Jackass, get your mitts off me! It's rude to grab women who want nothing to do with you!" She fired back at him, ripping her arm away from him._ _

__He made a sneering face at her, and his two friends came on either side, crossing their arms. "Whoa, kitty can scratch! Don't be that way baby, I'll show you a great time you just gotta hear me out."_ _

__She scoffed at his statement. "Trust me, there's nothing more to hear. I'm sure you don't know many more words." She spun around in confidence and started walking away but heard the trio follow close behind._ _

__"Hey broad, listen to me-" the idiot started again only to be interrupted by Darcy._ _

__"No, you listen to _me_. I don't want anything to do with you, so you should just go back and find a dumber girl than me to hit on because I'm not interested in blonde, hairless gorillas, okay? So fuck right off" Darcy swore at him. His face contorted into one of anger and he grabbed her arm again, dragging her slightly closer to him. _ _

__"Look broa-" he didn't get a chance to finish because Darcy pulled her knee up so fast he didn't see it coming, and it connected with his pelvis with a glorious crunch. The other two winced and she shook his arm off, turning around running away from the three idiots. The incapacitated one croaked out a "get her!" and his two goonies ran after. She tried to hustle but damn her shoes. They looked amazing but really hindered her ability at a quick getaway. She was almost at the corner and then she could cross the street to the diner and shoot a call out to one of Stark's personal drivers for a chaperoned trip home but she had to get there first._ _

__Instead she tripped on a lifted edge of sidewalk and launched forward, falling into a group of people waiting to cross the road. Someone managed to grab her by both arms and scoop her up onto her feet before she made a less than graceful introduction to the ground. She grasped either sides of the mans strong, she noted, arms and let him move one of his hands to her waist and pull her to his side facing the two idiots chasing her and the main gorilla who was trailing behind them._ _

__"These guys giving you trouble, doll?" the man said, laced with a good ole home grown Brooklyn accent._ _

__She nodded, "Yea these morons don't know how to take no for an answer" she said, nodding her head at the three._ _

__"I'll fix 'em" the man said, and he let her go, walking towards the men. She still hadn't seen his face, but she could appreciate a strong back. Her savior had broad shoulders and wide arms, and beautiful hands. His stride was even and confident, and Darcy wasn't sure how polite it was to openly stare at a strangers ass in the 40's but she hoped no one noticed it. Because his was _fantastic_. He went up to the three men and opened the conversation, gesturing to her with a thumb. Suddenly, Nice Ass man grabbed the main idiot and said a few things in his ear and then let him go with a shove. The three men didn't look happy, but they also didn't continue harassing him or coming after Darcy so she didn't care. She continued to just stand and watch as her hero made sure the guys walked away a far enough distance that he was happy with. He turned around and began to walk back to Darcy and she took in his face._ _

__Damn. Daaamn. This man was _fine_. He had a great jaw, bright eyes and all the chiseled features she liked in a man. Tall, dark and handsome was her type, and he git the bill. Dressed in a pair of well fitted khaki's and a dark brown jacket, he looked like he crawled out of a GQ Cover page. She must have had a stupid look on her face because as soon as he caught her eye he gave her a smile that implied he knew what she was thinking. Once he made it back to her she stuck her hand out immediately for formal introduction._ _

__"Thanks for saving my hide dude, I needed a hero right about then," she started, taking a moment to appreciate the laugh he gave her, his smile was perfect. Even teeth and beautiful lips that he licked before giving a huge smile just for her and taking her offered hand. She felt her skin burn hot on her cheeks as he licked his lips. This man was trouble. Beautiful, but trouble. "I'm Rose Lewis, thanks again" she said, giving him a smile._ _

__He smirked again, looking her up and down for a moment, "You certainly look like a Rose, though you put the beauty of the flower to shame" he said smoothly. This was a guy she would let hit on her without any issues. Shaking her hand he told her his name._ _

__"I'm James Barnes, but everyone calls me Bucky."_ _

__Oh fuck._ _


	10. Chapter 10

Bucky Barnes was possibly the most charming person Darcy had ever met. Shortly after she _literally_ fell into his arms and he scared the idiot brutes away, he escorted her to the diner and ‘like a proper gentleman’, he said, sat with her while she ordered hot tea and Bean  & Barley soup. He ordered himself apple pie and the two found themselves getting lost in conversation, both captivated by each other’s presence. 

Darcy never really knew much about Bucky Barnes except what little Steve told her and what minimal information made it into the History Books. She knew that he was a POW who went MIA once the Nazi base he was held in blew up. Many of the soldiers made it out that day, but even after Steve went looking, Bucky was held in a different part of the facility. The Research section, if she remembered correctly. Steve rescued most of the POWs that day, but he missed out on saving his best friend. Darcy knew the weight of Bucky’s inevitable death would haunt Steve forever.

Over their meal, however, Darcy learned that Bucky was an older brother to a sister, and that he lost his father in World War 1, leaving his mum to raise the two children on her own. Rebecca, his sister, was at a Boarding School across the country living with their Aunt so that their mum could help out with the War by sewing parachutes without the guilt of neglecting her children. Bucky himself was waiting to be enlisted, proud to say that the recruitment officers were impressed by his background in sports and his sharp eyesight. He told Darcy that he hoped he would be considered for a specialty unit right away. _My father was a sniper in World War 1, I’d like to do him proud” he elaborated._

Darcy was careful to try and make herself as plain and unassuming as possible, but Bucky had one of those personalities that lit up with everything you said and suddenly you found yourself sharing very personal things with right away without feeling embarrassed. He was attentive and kind, and whenever Darcy caught herself staring into his eyes a little longer than was customary he would smirk and look down before catching her eyes again, making her blush and apologize for her actions.

She found herself discussing her own mother and how she missed her, lightly touching on the lack of father growing up. She opened up about her good relationship with her friend Jane, and their ‘guardian’ Erik and how the three worked so well together and how she missed them dearly. She was grateful Bucky didn’t ask her to explain further because she missed them dearly, and talking about them would just make her more homesick. She talked about her reintroduction to the world of physics, and the discussion went over Bucky’s head but he was polite, listening to her ramble off about this one theory that had just been proven at Harvard and how her mentor was already attempting to disprove it, her hands gesturing wildly as she became distracted with the conversation.

Even after the waitress cleared their table and gave them the bill, the two were still engaged with each other’s presence. It was liberating to exchange words with someone that wasn’t Dr. Erskine or Howard. She loved the two of them, no doubt about that, but she didn’t realize how much she craved just talking about nothing. Having a conversation without purpose, just _hanging out_ and wasting the afternoon away. Darcy looked at her watch, shocked that it had been over two hours and she announced so to her newfound friend. He seemed equally surprised and then made a face in grimace.

“I was supposed to meet someone before I ran into you Rose, I don’t think they’ll be too impressed with me” he said, pulling his face into a look of concentration, lips turning into a thin line. Darcy laughed at his expression, and apologized for her distraction.

He started to put his coat on again, getting ready to leave. “Naw doll, it’s fine. I reckon I had a better time with you than I would them! But I’ll have to grovel at her feet to make up for my wrongdoings. Awfully rude of me to stand a nice girl up.” He flashed her a smile but she still felt a pang of disappointment.

“You have a girlfriend?” she queried, trying to play it cool. 

He laughed, “oh no Rose, no girlfriend. Just a date. If I’m honest, I’m trying to have as much fun as I can before I get shipped off to Europe.” 

He gave her a wink and the disappointment evaporated. She wasn’t looking to be a good time gal for someone in the past, but she felt she could be a bit more reckless with Bucky, knowing that being friends with him would have zero impact on the world she was hoping to return to. She looked at Bucky then and realized – he was a walking dead man. He wouldn’t make it out of WW2. She shook her head trying not to think about it. She knew that everyone she met in this time would be either near a hundred or dead. The realization made her a bit ill. She realized that Steve must feel this way every day, knowing that all his friends thought he was dead and when he came back – they were the ones who were dead.

“So can I walk you home Rose?” Bucky asked, helping her with her coat. She chuckled, not about to be fooled entirely by his charm. 

“Actually, my Uncle Is probably worried about me. I should give him a ring and let him know I’m not dead or kidnapped,” she headed over to the waitress and requested to use their phone, calling the number Howard, her ‘Uncle’ gave her. They had decided that if Darcy ever _did_ go missing, she should have a better backstory. Not knowing their relationship, Howard said that she should say she was the daughter of his late brother, Edward, since there would be no way of proving otherwise in the case of emergency and they looked like ‘they could be related’ he explained. 

She spoke with whoever picked up the other line, explaining who she was and where she was, and requested for a car to pick her up, not wanting to gather any more attention from people like the trio of idiots from earlier. She also didn’t want Bucky to follow her home and possibly cause any problems. The person on the other line said that a car was sent out and it would be at her location within 10 minutes. 

Hanging up and thanking the waitress, Darcy swiftly paid for the bill leaving a generous tip, and headed towards Bucky who was waiting patiently at the table.

“Let me pay for this bill doll and I’ll walk you home,” he said, flashing another one of his big smiles that could light up any room. She laughed, admitting she already paid and he looked a bit crestfallen.

“Consider it payment for saving the day, hero” she said to him, stroking his ego a bit. He seemed to cheer up slightly, still grumbling about how it was a man’s duty to treat the lady. 

“Honestly Rose, just spending time with you was reward enough. You didn’t have to pay for me” he said to her, shoving his hands in his pocket, turning to face her when she stopped by the edge of the street to wait for the car to pick her up. He had a bit of a pout going on and she let out a hearty laugh at his behavior and patted the side of his arm.

“There, there, Bucky. Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll meet up again” smiling at him slightly, he returned her beaming face with a brilliant smile that broke her out into a bigger grin. She heard a cars horn from behind her and Bucky looked over her to her side and whistled when the car pulled up. There were no Starks ever on earth that liked being subtle or inconspicuous. The car that pulled up to bring her home was a brand new, Black 1943 Cadillac Coupe, with Howard’s Stark “S” logo on the hubcaps of the tires. The car drew some attention from the passersby, and Bucky openly stared at the car, back to Darcy, back to the car again.

“You know Howard Stark?” he questioned, inspecting the beauty of the car. He looked like he had never seen a vehicle before with the way he was acting. He ran a hand through his hair and let the other sit on his waist, walking the length of the vehicle and giving the driver a subtly nod of his head, showing his respect. He walked back to Darcy, who was trying to avoid eye contact and slightly pursing her lips to the side of her mouth as if she didn’t know how powerful or famous Howard Stark was.

“Uh yea. You could say I know him,” she smiled at Bucky, waiting for him to catch on. It took a couple more seconds but the realization finally hit him. 

“You said your uncle would worry…You’re a Stark?” both hands into his hair this time, slightly freaking out at who he thought she was, “And you paid for my meal? My mother is going to _kill_ me…” he panicked, she laughed. 

“It’s really not that big of a deal. I don’t go around telling everyone I’m a Stark. Besides, I’m a Lewis by birth, Stark by blood. Don’t worry about it” she winked at him and gave him a big smile, balancing on the heels of her shoes as she teetered on her feet with her arms joined behind her back, trying to look innocent.

“Well Rose, you’re a helluva girl. You’ll really have to hope we’ll meet again so I can treat you right.” He opened the door for her and saluted the driver, introducing himself to him out of politeness. The driver simply nodded and looked at Darcy. 

She gave Bucky another smile, and her face nearly cramped up. After being cooped up in the facility for months without reason to smile, the last couple of hours had taken a toll on her muscles. He returned her smile once again and quickly lowered his head for a quick peck on her cheek, lips warm even though the wind had picked up. They left a burning impression on her cheek and she blushed furiously.

“See ya around, doll” he said, saluting both her and the driver again he walked back a couple steps, facing the car. He watched to make sure that Darcy was safely seated with the door closed, and she waved to him through the window. She maintained eye contact with him as long as she could, reverting to staring at the side mirror to watch him watch the car. Once she was far enough away she saw him jam his hands back into his coat, walking in the direction that Darcy interrupted him in, his back to her.

She sat back properly in the seat and stared out the window. The driver was Boris, a simple fellow that Howard usually had driving him around. He was nice and quiet, never asked any questions for which Darcy appreciated today. 

She tried to replay her entire conversation with Bucky, attempting to memorize every detail she learned about him. She was upset she had finally made a connection like that with someone, and she knew that they would never have the happy ending she dreamed of. He would perish in the war and she would return to her own time. He was charming, funny and just about everything she looked for in a guy. But he wouldn’t be alive, or even her age in the future – both of which were sort of important in a boyfriend. She sighed and rested her head on the window, Boris driving silently as he took her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that the MCU we all know and love will be the final future, but we gotta change some stuff to get there. Any changes are made on purpose, they'll come into play in the future (oh terrible pun).


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stark Expo 1943

Chapter 11

A fortnight had passed since Darcy met Bucky Barnes in the flesh. She returned to the lab in a chipper mood which Howard picked up on instantly. He poked fun at her a couple times, with no reaction from Darcy, who had been subject to teasing since she turned thirteen. He gave up after a while and simply made a couple of jabs when she seemed distracted, blaming _”boys"_.

But no, it was just one boy.

Maybe Darcy was just lonely, or sick and tired of the men she was talking to all the time being either A.) Old, or B.) Related to her, but Bucky had left a lasting impression. She kept trying to compartmentalize the budding crush she had on the man but to no avail.

She found herself laughing when remembering a segment of their conversation or his reaction to the car pulling up, blushing when she recalled his lips hitting her cheek, and wistful at leaving him alone on the sidewalk. She was thrilled that the Stark Expo was tonight, because that meant she could get out on the town – she had a goal after all;

Locate and recruit Steve Rogers for Project: Rebirth.

During one of her rare encounters with Steve Rogers, the topic of how many times he applied for the army came up when Darcy was thinking of applying for her Master’s. She knew that he had applied 5 times before finally meeting Dr. Erskine in Brooklyn at the Expo. She had given the information, what little she remembered from the brief conversation she held with America’s Hero.

After finalizing the Serum, Howard had left to focus on his Expo while Dr. Erskine and Darcy developed a plan to ensure that Steve would apply for the army. Erskine said that he would remain in the recruitment center and oversee every application as it came by. 

She focused on reminding Erskine what Steve looked like, rather than what he said his name was. There was a possibility of him using a false name since he was so desperate to commit himself to his country.

While Erskine would remain by the hopefuls, Darcy had _mostly_ free reign on the Expo. She was _supposed_ to be making sure that Steve wandered over to recruitment, but Howard told her to try and enjoy herself. 

Even though he was kind of pig headed, flirty and inappropriate with her at times, Howard was really a nice guy. He always picked up when she was feeling down, and once when she was hit with the flu he brought her home cooked Chicken Soup from his butler and friend, Jarvis. The soup was delicious and Howard constantly stopped by to make sure that she made a full recovery. He only teased her a little bit now, the two of them comfortably falling into an almost uncle/niece relationship like their fake backstory. The two were like peas in a pod, and she had only wished that his son would turn out to be the same way. She knew better though.

Currently Darcy was just waiting for Dr. Erskine to come and knock on her door and tell her the car was ready to pick them up and drop them off at the Expo. She wore a new pair of leather heels, black stockings and a Sapphire blue dress that complimented her alabaster skin, rosy cheeks and cornflower blue eyes. She gave her hair a severe side part, pinning it out of her face right above her right ear with a large silver barrette with two small roses covered in tiny crystals that sparked when the light caught it. It was a belated Birthday gift after Darcy let it slip to Dr. Erskine that her birthday was New Year’s Day.

Both Howard and Abraham were miffed that she said nothing on the actual date, Howard more so. She walked into the lab February 1st to streamers and a chorus of people singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her with whatever skeleton crew Howard could round up. There was a cake, and a present from both Howard and Dr. Erskine. She laughed at their display, giving each of the men a hug in appreciation. Her eyes watered up and she thanked them, grateful that the past wasn’t so unkind to her after all.

Howard gifted her a camera, a Kodak 35 Rangefinder, a camera that she was still learning how to use. She was frustrated at the lack of point and shoot functionality of the thing, but she was learning to develop film which was interesting. Since her visits to the outside world were limited and uncommon, all of her pictures had been of the lab, or her two men in crime, the Doc and Howard. All her pictures that she had developed were mostly overexposed or only partially developed.

Dr. Erskine however, had given Darcy a wonderful set of matching barrettes. There were two crystal barrettes, the smaller of the two featuring one crystal studded rose, the larger containing two roses of different sizes. She thanked him when she opened the box, but later that night she had given him another big hug in gratitude. 

She knew she had an issue with male role models in her life, no thanks to her 'father', but she couldn't deny that there were no better positive male influences than Erik, Dr. Erskine and yes, even Howard. All three were special in their own way, and all three cared for her that made her feel grateful for the life she lived. She would miss the other two dearly, considering breaking the cardinal rule about time travel and telling Howard to not fly the night he died so she may be able to visit him again in her time.

A soft knock on the door took her out of her thoughts. She grabbed her fitted red trench coat, and opened up the door to see Dr. Erskine ready to go, hat in hand and a briefcase in the other. The two of them walked to the garage, getting in a larger Buick, waiting for the giant doors to open and then them get on the main street, heading towards the Expo in silence. 

Darcy had rerun the conversation with Steve in her mind and attempted to write down what she had read in her history books on the Super Soldier program, hoping she could get the timeline of the events correctly. Some things, like the actions of the Howling Commandos and Captain America's defeat of the Red Skull were easy to recall because they were what she would consider more interesting. Other things like the finding Steve, training Steve, picking Steve, injecting Steve, portions were a little boring so her memory wasn't as sharp.

As she looked out the window to the crowds of people all walking towards the Expo, she thought about the part she was playing in the future she would be born in. Dr. Erskine and Howard had both said that without her assistance they would be 6 months behind schedule, and Dr. Erskine told her in private that it would be far more if he didn't find her in Norway. She frowned as she thought about her position some more. Was she there on purpose? Was she there to aid the future and win the War? If she was, why wasn't she in any books?

Time travel was already difficult enough to comprehend, she didn't need to begin rationalizing time as a linear concept vs abstract concept. She shook her head, gathering a look of concern from Dr. Erskine, to which she raised her hand brushing off his worries. Staring again out the window, she started to daze. That girl had nice shoes, that one has great hair, cool scarf, that guy was getting shoved into an alley - "Hey, that guy's getting shoved into an alley! Stop the Car!" She shouted after she realized what was unfolding in front of her.

Darcy didn't know where her confidence came from, but as a woman who usually carries a taser, she _hated_ it when someone was picking on the little guy. The car stopped, and she hopped out, shouting a "be right back!" to the Driver, waving to the Doctor. She picked up a bottle that had been thrown aside, and ran down the alley to see what was happening. She saw a rather large beefy guy hauling punches on a seriously underweight, short man who was currently using a garbage can lid as a shield. 

Damn her noble heart. "Hey you big idiot, why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" she shouted, grabbing the bully's left arm with her right hand and turning him to face her slightly. Her left hand held the bottle and she shook it a couple times to catch his attention. He laughed at her display and she caught the eyes of the smaller man. 

"Holy shit" 

Steve Rogers. Slack jawed and distracted, the bully grabbed the bottle out of her hand and threw it down the alley, breaking as it hit the ground. She looked over to where the bottle landed. 

"Now you got a broad saving your ass? You're pathetic" the man spat out to Steve. Steve, a fool at heart, shouted "Hey, don't look away from me, she's not involved!" and raised his fists to a proper boxing stance. The bully laughed again and punched Steve to the ground and started to walk over to Darcy. Fuck that, she wasn't having any part of this. It had only been two weeks since her run in with the three idiots but there was a retired Colonel at the facility that was more than willing to show her a few defensive moves. She stomped hard on the mans foot, raising her elbow up to connect with his chin, before using her fist to slam into his groin. He couldn't react to her hits, stumbling backwards in pain. She took the opportunity to bring her foot up and kick him in the side of his head with the top of her foot. He fell to the ground, passed out.

Darcy walked over and checked his pulse, thinking maybe she had seriously hurt him, but he was just sleeping like a baby. She looked up to Steve who had a split lip and a minor cut on his eyebrow from the idiot Darcy took out. She walked over to him to inspect his wounds but he didn't let her touch his face. 

He seemed thankful and ungrateful at the same time. "You didn't have to do that, I had him." She wanted to frown, but she raised a single brow instead. "Sure ya did bud, I was just helping out. Two little guys equal one giant prick, so it's even! And you can even take credit for it, because no way is he going to go bragging that a little woman kicked his ass." she rambled, eventually sticking her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Rose Lewis, what's your name?" she asked, knowing the answer.

He wiped away his blood on his lip with his left hand and took her hand with his right, "I'm Steve Rogers". 

"Well Steve Rogers, what are you doing in an alley meeting some not so nice people?" she said lightheartedly, stopping the handshake to pick up a rather important looking card. She read it briefly, catching the '4F' stamp in the bottom corner before handing it to Steve.

He took the card from her and jammed it back in his coat. "He was being disrespectful to our troops" he told her, pride in his tone. He looked her right in the eyes, they were about the same size. She smiled, knowing that even though right now he was cute and helpful like a puppy; but in a couple of months, Steve Rogers would be "Captain America", hero of WW2 and panty dropper. He would never know about the latter, but damn if it wasn't true. And even if he did know, he was too much of a gentleman to ever bring it up.

"So what are you doing chasing people down alleyways, Miss Lewis?" he asked, brushing the dirt off his coat and looking around on to make sure he didn't drop anything else. 

"Just upholding my duty as an America citizen and making sure no ones picking on the little guys," she said and Steve laughed. He had the same laugh as the Steve she knew, right from his belly, hearty and pure. It made her smile big, bringing out an even bigger smile from the man. His laugh reminded her of home. 

They started to walk down the alley and she waved to the driver, him starting the car up again. "Where you headed Steve?"she asked him.

"I don't know Miss Lewis, probably just home. I think I've had enough excitement for one day today" and he laughed softly. 

"Why not come to the Stark Expo? That's where I'm going and it would be great to see you there," she planted, giving him a big smile and look through her lashes. He blushed at her attention and looked at his feet.

"Oh, come on...you, you- probably have a great guy waiting for you there" he stuttered. Oh Steve, you were always awkward with women she thought to herself, promising herself that she would work on that with him in the future. She peered over at the driver and Dr. Erskine, who tapped his watch. She gave him an obvious side eyed looked at Steve and gestured in Steve's direction with her head. He caught on and raised both hands as a sign of surrender. 

"Look at who is waiting for me Steve, an old man and a personal driver. I don't have many friends in the city but it would be great if you stopped by! I know the recruitment officers, I can put in a good word for you!" She winked at him, knowing she had his attention. "We need good honest men overseas, and I can tell you're a good honest man"

He blushed again, and shook his head in embarrassment. "Well, for a dame like you I'll consider it but no promises."

"Okay, consideration is good enough for me. I hope to see you there!" She began walking over to the car and Steve waved at her once before turning away from the car and walking in the opposite direction of the Expo.

Dr. Erskine was irked. "Is that not our man? What is he doing?" he said in a panicked voice.

"Relax Doc, I know what I'm doing. Besides, he's got a friend who's going to the Expo. I snooped through your application files and noticed his best friend was assigned to the 107. This friend of his is going to the Expo for a good time, and he needs a partner for a double date." she prattled off to him, remembering Steve's ramblings.

The Doctor frowned at her but let out a small smile, knowing she was reciting what was history for her. He nodded his head once to her before gesturing to the driver to continue driving. HE trusted her, something she was grateful for. Dr. Erskine was her only friend in this time who knew her darkest secret, and he had done an excellent job of keeping it under wraps. A couple times she had messed up a let a few odd things slip, and he covered for her, blaming "good intuition" and "coincidence", convincing suspicious parties otherwise. 

The driver parked in the reserved section, right beside Howard's Cadillac. Dr. Erskine and Darcy got out of the car and headed towards the recruitment center. She reminded Dr. Erskine for the umpteenth time what information Steve lied about on his application form and brought up that he had just seen the candidate in real life so it was even easier. They were confident they were going to find their man tonight. Darcy said good luck for the Doctor and headed over to Stark's stage where he was prepping his hover car. She knew it wouldn't work because of the reverse compulsion system, but he ignored her and continued on his solo mission.

Howard gave her a big hug and introduced her to all the Stark women in teeny outfits, all very excited to be working for the man. She finished up her business with Howard, which was basically just formalities and listening to women chatter about how dashing Mr. Stark was. She gagged and made a fake vomit face before walking into the crowd into the courtyard. She perched up against a large statue and glanced around the Expo grounds, taking the magnificent scene in. She turned a couple of heads and smiled at the attention. It felt good to be considered pretty and she was grateful that women of her size and style were considered exceptionally attractive in the 40s. Sometimes when you're up against the Maria's, Natasha's and Jane's of the world you get a little down on yourself. 

She heard someone call out for a 'Rose' and she whipped her head to the direction she heard it from. Steve! Oh thank god. She had a little bit of doubt, thinking that she maybe scared him off of coming. 

"Hi Steve! Long time no see!" She said, laughing at her lame statement. Some things never changed, time travel or not.

He laughed back at her, running his hand through his blonde hair. "Yea, I got wrangled into a double date, so I can't join you or else it would be rude," explaining his situation, Steve seemed to think he let her down.

"I'm just glad you came Steve, this is an iconic moment in time - you couldn't miss this!" She smiled, tapping her hand lightly against his arm. "Are you going to go to the recruitment center?" She asked as a follow up. 

He hummed and hawed, "I don't know yet. Maybe. Bucky thinks it's a bad idea."

"Bucky?" She asked, realizing that for the first time in a couple of weeks she had totally forgot about him.

"Yea, he's my friend who set the double date up. Anyway, I think I see the girls over there, I'm going to slowly walk over there and pretend like I'm completely comfortable with this situation. See you around Rose!" He waved at her as he walked away, slowly approaching the two women by another statue. Oh Steve, you're so terrible with women.

Well, he was here and she should probably keep an eye on him. She figured she would wait a couple of minutes before joining Howard on stage to keep an eye on the crowd and on Steve. She spun to face the opposite direction and walk back to the statue she wandered away from only to hit a solid chest. A solid, familiar chest.

"We gotta stop meeting this way doll, I'm starting to think that you like falling in my arms" a deep voice said out to her. She looked up at the owner of said voice, eyes travelling up a smart looking army uniform, meeting a clean shaven, smirk wearing, dark eyed handsome soldier named James Buchanan Barnes. Hat slanted on his head, he tilted his head back to get a good look at her.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say it was a great pair of arms to fall into, Mr Barnes" she commented back, getting a raised brow from him.

"Good to see you doll" he said softly, putting a lock of her hair behind her ear. She grasped to the sides of his suit where his belt was. "Good to see you too Bucky. But if you're not careful, you're gonna have another dame in New York angry that you stood her up just for me" she said, lightly tilting her head in Steve and the Girls direction. Bucky lifted his head up to the sky and blew air out of his nose, half smiling and pursing his lips as his lightly shook his head.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say it would be worth it. But I made a promise. Can I see you after the expo? I promise you this is just a solid effort to find my pal Steve a nice gal before I leave for Europe." He almost pleaded with her, grabbing the sides of her arms. She couldn't help herself. She knew she shouldn't, but she really did enjoy Bucky's company.

"Okay Buck, after the Expo. I'll be here, same spot, in a couple of hours. Don't make me one of the girls in New York angry that you stood her up." she said, smiling big at him and laughing at the end.

He nodded and chuckled back to her, tipping his hat slightly to her and grabbing her right hand. "Wouldn't dream of it Doll," he said, placing his lips on her right hand and lingering there a little longer than one usually would. He walked over to his friend and their dates, a bit dejected that he needed to be polite and entertain his invited guests and leave Darcy behind.

Her hand burned. Damn, that man could kiss. She was thinking how nice it would be to kiss him on the lips, ignoring the reasonable part of her brain telling her not to get attached.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up the shit about Hover Cars.


	12. Chapter 12

Darcy watched the group of four walk over to the stage where Howard was about to display his Hover Car. She walked around the group of people and found herself on the outermost corner of the stage, curtain on her right, crowd on her left. She could see Bucky standing behind the two women and a tuft of blonde hair to his left she assumed was Steve. Man, that Serum was really effective on him.

The loud intro music started, and Darcy looked up at the stage, watching the women do their dance number and escort Howard onstage. He was such an overdramatic person, but his charm was undeniable. His charisma made the crowd cheer and he ate up the spotlight like it was made for him. He caught her eye and gave her a big smile before continuing on with his display.

The car did hover, essentially. It only lasted a few seconds but it was a long enough display that wowed the crowd into cheering loudly and breaking into applause. Howard began to quiz the crowd on engine function and modifying their cars to make them go faster, what you would need to do to increase speed and steering – etc. He started plugging his new engine, easy to transport, easy to modify, perfect for troops _and_ the average American driver. 

“It’s so easy, even someone with no engine experience can take it apart!” Howard said into the microphone. He looked over at Darcy and held his hand out towards her, directing a spotlight over her. “Let’s get my good friend Rose up here to show us how it’s done!”

So _this_ is what he needed her help with. That bastard.

She grabbed his hand and hauled herself up, stepping on a nearby box to help herself to get on the stage. She started taking off her nice red coat to save it from any dirt or grease and gave it to Howard, giving the crowd a small curtsy as he introduced her again. She received a few wolf calls and appreciative whistles from men in the crowd and she blushed, trying not to make any eye contact with any of them. She did catch Bucky’s eye however, and he gave her a side smile and salute behind his dates. Steve laugh smiled and waved slightly to her. She waved back to the two gentlemen and they elbowed each other at her acknowledgement. 

Turns out, Howard did really want her to take apart an engine. After some basic instructions and a clock being wheeled out behind her, she realized she was going to be given ten minutes to take the damn thing apart. She gave Howard an angry look, eliciting a laugh from the crowd. She stood in front of an engine on a stand, beside a full table of tools and another empty table to put the disassembled parts.

“Howard, if my dress gets ruined I’m going to be quite cross with you!” She called out across the stage and he made a fake shocked face in return.

“You wreck that dress Lewis and I’ll buy you a new wardrobe!” he said in retaliation.

“Don’t tempt me!” She laughed back and waited for the clock to countdown, staring at the task in front of her. Howard pressed the button on the clock and it started ticking. She looked at the engine, staring at it like it was an ancient artifact hiding secrets. She didn’t know what the hell was going on but what the hell – she’ll play along. She grabbed random tools, taking off pieces of the engine at a rapid pace. 

Hmm, Howard was right, this engine was pretty darn easy to take apart. Ignoring the chanting for her from the crowd, she focused hard on her duty, taking off the last internal piece of the engine with a triumphant “huzzah!” holding it above her head with nearly 2 minutes left on the clock. The crowd erupted, but of course Howard was an asshole, and said,

“Now, we’re going to have her put it all together again! Restart the clock!” He shouted, and the crowd released an even larger cheer than before. Howard really could get them going.

The clock reset and Darcy did her best to put the darn thing back together again. Thankfully she had a pretty great memory, near photographic when it came to working with her hands, so the reassembly didn’t go as poorly as she thought it might. She managed to get all the pieces back into the engine, tightening the bolts on the header in the last few seconds, walking back from it as the buzzer rang. 

The crowd was elated, and she looked around at the people with a proud smile on her face, shouting “I did it!” taking off her gloves she walked over to Howard and he grabbed her left hand, lifting it above her head. She scanned the crowd, finding Bucky and the two girls, but noticed that Steve had abandoned his post and was walking to the recruitment center. Thank god.

“See! Any amateur can do it! This is the prototype for the Stark 746 Engine for any car! Keep an eye out for it, it’s amazing!” Darcy curtsied again and Howard handed her her coat back and two walked backstage as the curtain closed. Howard gave her a few congratulations before taking a Stark dancer in each arm, walking towards the open bar in the VIP section. She shook her head and walked over to the recruitment center, hoping to find Dr. Erskine and find out if Steve applied. 

Even though it was nearly April, the night chose to be clear, with no brisk wind so Darcy didn’t bother throw her coat on. She liked it when she got a small chill, it made her feel alive. And with the air now compared to that in the future, she appreciated the clean smell and was going to appreciate this America as long as she could. She walked into the center and saw Dr. Erskine checking through a file at the front counter. She went up next to him and got his attention.

“Well?”

Dr. Erskine smiled at her.

“I had the pleasure of welcoming a young Mr. Steve Rogers to the US Army. You were right Miss Lewis, he is a superb candidate. A very nice individual.”

“I know Doc, and trust me, he’s going to stay that way. He’s an All American Man, and there really isn’t a better person for the job” she said to him, getting a nod of approval. They chatted a bit more about Steve, Dr. Erskine telling her that they would be leaving for Camp Lehigh, where the Strategic Scientific Reserve decided to do their candidate observations. She caught a glimpse of her watch and realized that a few hours had gone by since bumping into Bucky. She excused herself from Erskine, and told him she’d be back to the facility in time to get the car to the camp.

She ran back to the Statue she promised she would meet the soldier at, putting her hand on the base at her arrival to catch her breath. She looked around for Bucky and checked her watch, panicking that she had missed him. She stood around for nearly 5 minutes, wondering how long one could wait for someone without seeming desperate. Another 10 minutes crawled by and her face went from smiling anxiously to sighing dismally during this time, and finally decided that maybe she should give up waiting. She started to put her coat on, fasting the belt at her waist and put on her black leather gloves that she kept in the pocket. She put her hands in her pockets and began to walk back to the car, head down.

 

She maybe got 10 feet from the statue before she heard her name being shouted behind her. She looked up and over her shoulder and saw Bucky jogging in her direction. She couldn’t help it, but a large smile broke out on her face and she laughed at the situation. He did seem like far too much of a gentleman to stand her up (although there was a chance, she supposed). She turned to face him and he lowered his speed as he got in front of her. He took off her hat and bowed down a bit, laughing at her expression.

“I told you before Doll, no way was I standing you up!” He locked his elbow with hers and directed her towards the exit.

“Well I’m grateful Bucky, for a second there I thought you were going to let me down,” Darcy admitted, blushing at her honesty. He looked down at her and gave a smile just for her. “Not a chance” he said, and he directed them towards the street. He wouldn’t tell her where they were going, but she didn’t hold any fear. They walked down the street, arm in arm, going over their experience at the Stark Expo. Bucky was impressed Darcy could figure out the engine on the fly and she admitted that she was too. They discussed where Bucky was going, how he qualified for the 107 and was shipping out tomorrow morning. 

She knew that before she got to Europe he would be held hostage by the Nazi’s and that Steve wouldn’t get there in time. She knew it was selfish and tried to convince herself that it wasn’t just for her own reasons, but she was going to lay a few hints around Steve regarding Bucky’s location. She didn’t think that letting one ordinary man live through the war could cause that much trouble. If anything, it would make a better Captain America because perhaps he wouldn’t be so jaded if Bucky survived.

She was still thinking about what to do, but hanging out with the man in question certainly tilted her decision. Bucky directed her to the entrance of the Boardwalk. It was on her list of places to visit in New York, and she was thrilled at the perspective of walking the boardwalk in the 40s when it was really in its hay day. 

“Are we walking the boardwalk?!” Darcy asked excitedly, vibrating with anticipation. Bucky laughed at her behavior and nodded his head. 

“This is one of the best places in Brooklyn, Doll.” He said to her, walking them through the entrance. There were neon signs everywhere, lighting up the ocean, the smell of the ocean was refreshing. Even though it was chillier than she would like, she had a warm body next to her that made it tolerable. Bucky encouraged her excitement by taking her through the prize alley and the two of them walked the entire length of the boardwalk slowly, appreciating each other’s company. 

Near the end of the boardwalk a jazz band was playing, and he dragged her into a dance. She protested, insisting that she didn’t dance. Not at all or ever a little bit. But Bucky was hard to say no too. He swept her in his arms and started a slow step, getting her awkward feet to move around his, working into proper formation. After a couple of sloppy steps on her end, they fell into a harmonious momentum, Bucky spinning her around to the music and pulling her back in his arms. 

Darcy was memorizing this night, deciding it was one of the best nights she had ever had. Her face hurt from laughing so hard, she knew her hair was falling out of place, her stockings had a run in them and she didn’t care. Bucky finished the dance with a long, slow dip and Darcy knew she was in bigger trouble than she thought. He was the most fun date she had ever had and he was shipping out for the Army first thing in the morning. It was like something out of a romance story and she rolled her eyes to the gods, blaming them for her shit luck in life and with men.

The band cheered when Bucky brought her out of the dip and she smiled big at him, face flushed and slightly out of breath from both the dip and the look her gave her. He had this look, it was hard for her to explain, where he was looking at something and it almost seemed like he was memorizing her face for the future, slow and soft. He finally met her eyes and the two seemed to get lost just staring at each other.

She blushed even harder and took a couple steps back, hands still in Bucky’s. “So is this the finale? Or do you have something else up your sleeve?” she quipped, earning a scoff and raised brows from her date.

He locked her elbow with his again and walked her over to the railing that overlooked the water. The sky was clear and the moon stared down on them, almost as bright as the lights behind them. They both just leaned on the railing for a while, taking pleasure in each other’s company while the band continued to play a couple of tunes. Darcy didn’t know how long exactly they stood there, but she was hyper aware of his presence. She wondered if he felt the same.

She looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly midnight. She needed to catch her ride early in the morning and still hadn’t even started packing. She inwardly groaned at the need to separate herself from Bucky, but knew that he needed to be ready bright and early in a couple hours as well. She took onto one elbow and looked at the Soldier, surprised to see he had already done the same while she thought about their situation.

“Thanks for making my night a great one Doll,” he said, bringing his free arm up to her face, thumb rubbing on the top of her cheek. Her cheeks burned at his touch.

“Hey, I should be thanking you Soldier, you’re the one with all the ideas” she said softly back to him, leaning slightly into his hand. His head lowered and she closed her eyes, completely prepared to be fully swept off her feet by this man.

His lips met hers in a tender kiss, and suddenly Darcy was deaf. She was in her own word, matching his movements with her own, bending her neck when he deepened the kiss. She brought her hands to his shoulders, while his other hand came to her waist. 

Darcy had been kissed before, she was a modern lady. But she had never been kissed like this before. Everything was perfect. She was dressed to the nines, on a proper date in the moonlight kissing beside and ocean and his breath was even fresh. The place, the person, the kiss – everything was straight out of a harlequin romance novel.

They broke the kiss, gasping through the cold air and Darcy heard the music coming back to her head, reentering the real world.  
“Whoa,” she said, bringing her finger to her lips.

“Ditto,” Bucky panted. He brought his other hand to her face, both now on each side of her head. He put his forehead on hers, and said “thanks for the great night Rose, you’re one helluva gal” so softly she almost missed it. He saw her glance at her watch discreetly and grabbed her hand, walking her back to the entrance. 

“Let’s get you home Doll, tomorrow’s another day” he said with a hint of remorse, seemingly as upset as she felt at that moment. She nodded numbly and the two walked in silence to the beginning of the boardwalk. Once they got to the street, Darcy let out a gasp of realization as she saw Boris and Howard waiting for her with the car. 

“Howard! What are you doing here?” Darcy asked, still holding Bucky’s hand. Bucky gave each man a polite nod and “sir”. 

“Soldier” Howard said, saluting the man. Boris opened the car door and Howard continued with an “alright you lovebirds, let’s go”, gesturing for the two to hop in. Bucky gave Darcy a look, and she shrugged. “Free ride for you, I wouldn’t complain” and she smiled at him. The two got in the back of the car and Bucky gave his address to Boris as Howard was getting in the front seat.

Bucky and Darcy were still holding hands, Bucky’s thumb caressing her hand. All these small quirks he held would be burned into her memory. His future made her eyes water and she had to look out the window to avoid letting them fall. Once they arrived to Bucky’s home, he hopped out of the car and Darcy told the other two men she would be right back. Howard winked at her and she rolled her eyes. 

The couple walked to his door and he grabbed the handle, before letting go and pulling Darcy into a hug. 

“Thanks again Doll, I mean it. You made this night really special.” He said to her, Darcy bringing her hands together behind his back for a tight hug. The hug lingered for a bit until he pulled away. She stepped up on her toes for one last kiss and he returned it, one hand behind her neck.

They pulled away and Darcy couldn’t look at his face, staring at his shoes instead. It was hard for her to say anything, this was one of the best nights of her life and she didn’t want to ruin it.

“Wait for me?” he asked quietly, “I still owe you a meal.” And he smiled gently at her. She laughed and finally met his eyes. 

“Yea Bucky, I’ll wait for you. Stay safe” she croaked out the last part, before her eyes welled up and she left, walking back.

She heard the door open and close behind her and the tears started to fall before she got into the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where anything in Brooklyn is. I'm assuming everything is within walking distance.


	13. Chapter 13

Howard asked no questions when she got in the car, for which she was grateful. When they arrived back at the facility Darcy noted that the Doctor already had his bags ready by the door. Howard put his arm around her, pulling them side by side and gave her a light peck on the forehead.

“Don’t worry Rose, you’ll see him again,” was all he said. Nodding to her he headed to the laboratory to do some final tinkering. She headed to her room and began packing a small bag to survive the camp life. As she was gathering her things, she stumbled upon her old clothes in the burlap bag from Norway. Her outfit from when she landed in the past was folded around her cell phone. She was astonished she managed to forget about it. 

She powered it on and laughed at her luck. Nearly 50% battery after not using it for over 4 months. Nice work Apple. She opened the pictures folder and scanned through a majority of them, deleting any ‘scandalous’ photos or anything featuring Tony Stark or Stark Industries in the shot. She removed all photos of Thor, Loki, New York during the alien attack and Shield headquarters. She erased all the phone contacts and music, and deleted unimportant apps. After her purge, she returned the phone to her burlap sack among her pants and jacket and put it in the suitcase. She felt a little better knowing that if she ever forgot about the phone again there would be less evidence of her acquaintances. 

After she was closing her suitcase, she laid on the bed. Resting for what seemed like a moment, she shot out of bed at the sound of someone knocking at her door. 

“Miss Lewis?” The Doctor called in, turning the handle. “Are you awake? It’s time to leave.”

She groaned, still so tired from the night she just had, but still welcomed him in. He watched as she got out of bed, her shoes still on from last night and her face stained from her makeup and frowned at her appearance.

“Everything alright Darcy?” He asked.

Oh, to hear her name again. He only called her that when he was certain they were alone. He knew it cheered her up. She smiled at him and shook her head. “Nothing to worry about Doc, just homesick and falling for soldiers. Girl stuff.” She deflected, hoping he knew to not continue the conversation. Good thing he was a smart man, because he caught the hint.

“How long until you are ready to go?”

She shrugged. “Hell I’ll go now, I’m not trying to impress anyone. Let’s go.”

Like a true gentleman he grabbed her suitcase for her and gestured politely towards the door. She grabbed her bright red coat, gave the doctor a smile and walked out ready for her next adventure.

 

Well, the camp was bullshit. 

Even though she got to see the wonderful Peggy Carter again, who was annoyed by the recent influx of lonely soldiers and their flirting. The two gave each other a small hug and Darcy was quickly given a list of tasks to do. Number one was trying to stay out of the way. Dr. Erskine and Peggy would observe the candidates and come back to Darcy, who would jot down any and all notes that the two had on the soldiers.

A couple of people would make a decent Captain America, she thought, but honestly Steve was perfect. She just needed a way to figure out how she could show the Colonel that he was the right man for the job.

During the last week of observation, Darcy finally got to walk around with Dr. Erskine. The Colonel was fighting his pick, saying that Rogers was too lightweight and wouldn’t be a good pick. Following behind the two men, she noticed a soldier nearby dropped a box from the stack he was carrying. She froze as she saw grenades tumble out and frantically looked around for a place to jump and hide. She realized that the soldier merely sighed at his folly, put his boxes down and grumbled as he picked up the items. She grabbed a nearby grenade and noticed it looked a bit weird.

“They’re fake, Miss” the soldier said, palm out waiting for the grenade.

“Why do you have fake grenade?” She asked, confused.

“So we can get used to throwing them without fear of detonation.” He explained, excited to hold a conversation with the pretty girl.

“Oh! Makes sense.” She suddenly had an idea, “Say, do you think I could borrow this?”

“Miss, you can keep it” he winked at her and carried about his business. She slipped the fake grenade behind her back, walking up to the candidates who were currently doing jumping jacks. She walked up beside Colonel Phillips and listened to him gripe about Erskine pick, again, before she lifted up the dummy grenade to them.

“Dummy” she said, before she pulled the fake pin out and threw it into the center of the young men.

“Grenade!” Colonel Phillips yelped out, and the men all scattered. Well, all but one. Little Steve Rogers instead dove onto the dummy grenade and covered it with his frail body, shouting “Get away! Get back!” Peggy caught Darcy’s eye and smiled, while Doctor Erskine laughed at Colonel Phillips dejected face. Steve looked up, recognizing Darcy and asked “Was this a test?”

Darcy broke out into a huge grin and offered out her hand to the future Captain America.

The next morning was the actual procedure. Darcy and Dr. Erskine went to the laboratory early in the morning to help Howard set up the machine. Peggy promised she would handle transporting Steve after. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company and finally, someone other than Darcy thought that Steve’s awkward nature with women was adorable.

Everyone in the lab was on edge. This was a huge deal and even though Dr. Erskine believed her when she said everything would be alright, he was still nervous. He admitted to visiting Steve for a debriefing and also that he got a little drunk in his room. She gave him a look of sympathy, understanding how he must be feeling. 

Finally, Steve and Peggy entered the lab. He seemed to be in awe of everything around him. Howard introduced himself officially. Darcy was manning Steve’s levels behind the machine while Peggy walked up to the viewing area and looked down at the group. Darcy was simply observing the two men mostly, but Dr. Erskine thought it would be best having her on the floor in an attempt to prove she was part of the procedure. So there she was in a white lab coat, making sure that the lights that needed to be blinking were blinking and the lights that weren’t supposed to be blinking were constantly on. 

Whupdi do.

As soon as Steve got in the machine she did escape her post. After all, she was literally watching history happen. 

In a very short period of time many things transpired. The lights were surging as Howard started the machine, Steve was yelling out both in pain and to continue the procedure, lights were popping and she had to dodge the sparks, the Capsule that Steve was in was glowing like crazy and steaming. Good lord, how did he live through this?

Finally the procedure was complete. Peggy had run down the steps nervously, awaiting the capsule to open and show the man inside. 

“Holy shit” Darcy let out, stunned at the transformation. He was shirtless, thank the ever loving gods, and she knew right about now she could catch a few flies with her open mouth. Peggy stepped closer to him, touching her chest and saying something to him that she didn’t quite catch. They seemed to be lost in each other. She smiled at the scene, catching Dr. Erskine’s eyes and scrunching her nose at the cute scene. He smiled at her before looking off behind her, his eyes growing wide. She turned around and suddenly the viewing room exploded, shattering the glass and scattering it over the crowd. She ducked instinctively but recovered quick enough to hear “Stop him!” from the Doctor and watching a strange looking man grab the last backup vial of the serum.

_Shit shit shit shit_

She launched herself foolishly in the man’s direction and he pointed a gun at her and fired, but she tripped and slammed to the ground, bullet missing her. Her head hit the floor and she blacked out for a second, not before hearing him fire two more times before running up the stairs behind him. Recovering quickly but drooling slightly, she knew had to get up and she lifted herself up off the ground and turned to the Doctor. 

She saw Steve instead, crouched over a body on the floor.

“No…” she said, before running over to Steve’s side to assess the damage of her friend. “No, no, no” she kept repeating. She saw the Doctor lift his hand to Steve’s heart before it gave out from exhaustion. She grabbed the Doctors head and slid her lap underneath it, wiping the sweat from his brow. How quickly he was losing his lucidity. Steve got up to chase after Erskine’s killer and left Darcy with him. She had tears rolling down her cheeks but wasn’t sobbing. She finally understood why Shield didn’t have any information on Abraham Erskine after Project: Rebirth was completed. Why didn’t it tell her how he died?

She caught his eyes, he was fading quickly. Her tears fell on his cheeks, and she was finding it hard to breathe. 

“I didn’t know,” she pleaded “I swear I didn’t know”. 

He shushed her and she finally broke, bending over his head and sobbing. She hadn’t cried like this since the Policeman came to her school to tell her about her mother’s accident. His hand weakly lifted to her cheek, and she heard him say “I trust you” before his hand fell to the floor. She knew she was making near inhuman sounds now, but he was the only one in this time that knew anything about her. He believed her in Norway, he helped her get over to the US and insisted that she work on the Serum Project. He had complete faith in her and trusted her. He was her friend. 

Howard grabbed her arm and lifted her into his arms for a hug, taking her away from Erskine’s body. She fisted the back of his coat with both hands, crying into his shoulder while he rubbed the back of her head whispering “It’s okay”, swinging from side to side slightly to settle her nerves. 

After what seemed like hours she broke away, struggling still to calm her breathing. He wiped away her tears and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the facility to get her some fresh air. She was sniffling all the way out and they walked silently, white lab coats still on. Eventually they stumbled onto a public bench with pigeons standing around it. They sat down and she broke down again, Howard sitting beside her, rubbing her back in silence. 

No one would call her Darcy now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Darcy.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short sweet chapter to get the ball really rolling

They buried Dr. Abraham Erskine in a little plot under a tree in a military cemetery on a Sunday.

Since Howard and Darcy walked back to the facility she was reserved, quiet and mopey. Steve had returned from his barefoot chase with news that Dr. Erskine’s killer had swallowed a cyanide tablet, committing suicide. She barely made notice of the news, instead retiring to her room early and lying in bed until she fell asleep.

She lived like that for a few days, her motivation lacking. She had a serious crush on a walking dead man, she was no closer to finding a way home, the only friend she had in the world was dead and she couldn’t even have prevented it if she wanted to. Howard had stopped by a few times, checking to make sure that she ate all her food, which she didn’t, and that she was alive. He didn’t stay to converse, instead letting her be and occasionally she would wake up in the morning to a little note and a crude drawing of a cat or dog telling her to “cheer up Rosie”. They made her smile briefly but in was short and bitter.

After Project: Rebirth, the Doc told her that he would start working on the way to get her home. They had discussed building a machine or contraption that would function similarly to the thing that Darcy fell on in New York when she first went back in time. His theory was that if they could recreate it, and she imitated whatever she did upon impact there would be a chance she could just pop through the same wormhole that the Tesseract made. But it was all theoretical and had only been discussed briefly during the short times that it was just the two of them working in the lab or during their meals.

Looking up at the ceiling from her bed, she rolled her eyes when she heard the soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” she groaned, flopping onto her side, she heard the door click open and expected to hear the stomping confident sound of Howard’s steps and instead she heard the click of heels worn by someone with determination. A shadow crept over Darcy’s bed and she looked up at the intruder.

“Peggy?” She said, sitting up. Peggy’s arms were crossed and she had begun to tap one of her feet. Darcy’s attention was immediately set on her foot. She winced slightly, knowing the familiar stance meant that she was certain to get an earful. “Yeeess?” she drawled on, hoping Peggy’s talks were better than Natasha or Jane’s talks.

“Howard tells me you’ve been in this bed since Sunday?” she asked firmly, frowning.

“Well I’ve also been in that chair-“she pointed, “in that corner—“moving her hand, “and the floor so he’s exaggerating.” She said seriously. “But have I been in this room since Sunday? Yes. Yes I have.” She crossed her fingers and sat her hands in her lap.  
“And how do you think you’re helping the country by moping around in this room like a distressed school girl? Do you realize that we are in a war right now?” Peggy asked her, voice softer than before but still carrying an edge of steadfastness. Darcy swallowed and met her eyes.

“Steve is Captain America now, what am I going to do? We don’t have the serum anymore, and my purpose was to be Dr. Erskine’s apprentice. He’s dead Peggy, what’s the point of me doing anything?” She spat out, realizing for the first time she had acknowledged that Dr. Erskine was dead. She froze and her lip trembled. Peggy say on the bed beside her, hands on either side of her hips.

Peggy sighed and began to speak. “When Dr. Erskine and I first made contact in Norway after he escaped he was a broken man, Rose. He was a victim of Johann Schmidt’s plans, and he was desperate to fix the wrongdoings he had taken part in.” she paused, looking at the younger girl, “When he contacted me after meeting _you_ , he finally seemed alive. I don’t know what it was about you Rose, but you really put a spark of determination in him and he became a better, happier man. Whatever your relationship was, I can tell you it was for the better. 6 months ago I met a man hell-bent on doing something because _he_ was wrong. That’s a dangerous place to be in, you get reckless and uncaring. When he met you he started to make a change, and became a man unwavering in his decision to do the _right_ thing. And right now, I don’t see that person that made him a great man.”

Darcy was taken aback. She had assumed that the military assumed she was just some dumb assistant, using her power as a ‘Stark’ to get ahead in the science world and get paid for easy work. She had no idea that some people actually took her seriously. Her being a clown in the lab and making inappropriate comments or swearing at just about everything certainly didn’t help her look serious, but if Peggy meant what she said that must mean she was doing something right.

“Ah.” Darcy let out as a sigh. She looked back up at the ceiling. “The last person I knew that died was my mother.” She admitted to Peggy. Still not looking at the woman she continued.

“It had been a regular day like any other. But because it was no different I felt no need to tell her I loved her more than anything and that she was an important person in my life. I understand that she probably knew it, but _I_ didn’t say it, and now I feel that guilt every day. It’s the same with Dr. Erskine. He didn’t know how important he became to me” her voice cracked and the end and she brought a hand up to her brow to convince the tears to stay in her head. Peggy rubbed her back,

“They knew Rose, they both knew. Feeling guilty gets you nowhere. I need you here with me, we’ve got a war to fight and I’m going to need my best people, you being one of them.”

Darcy looked ahead and realized that Peggy was right. She couldn’t mope around like this. She still had to find a way home.

The women sat on Darcy’s bed for a while in silence before Darcy chose to take a step in the right direction back to the Darcy she was best at being.

“So, shirtless Steve was pretty exciting, huh? I swear you could cut glass on those abs!” Peggy blushed widely and Darcy let out a loud burst of laughter but the two women gave each other a look of agreement before breaking out into a smile. Peggy told her to pack her things, all her things – Darcy was going on a road trip.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the false Chapter 15 alert! For some reason chapter 14 reloaded and my 15 was erased :( Here is the rewrite and I will be posting 16 hopefully tonight as well!

By "road trip", Darcy found out Peggy meant "accompanying Steve Rogers on the Captain America Tour". She also found out that after the first couple of shows, the Tour was super cheesy and painful to watch. Darcy only knew Steve Rogers as the active Captain, the talented soldier capable of dropping a man with a single well hit punch or shield throw. 

This Steve was a pathetic puppet, essentially trying to sell enlistment to eligible young men. His voice reminded her of a salesman at a car lot, laced with sugar and slightly musical. He always wore big grin on his face, one she knew his face hurt after each show. Their next tour stop was in Italy and thankfully she knew that the tour was nearly over. Soon Steve would storm the Hydra base and the tour would be postponed. What would Darcy do then?

Peggy did Darce a favor though, she certainly hadn't been thinking about the Doctor as much since she departed with Steve, and now the two of them had managed to start a decent friendship as they traveled across the world. Since their only real connection was fighting assholes and Bucky, their conversation often drifted to focus on the latter.

Darcy learned that Steve and Bucky really did grow up together, attending every year of school together, furthering their education at an Art School, Steve going to Bucky's gym for boxing lessons when war was declared to bulk up once Bucky left for the Army. The men seemed to be like brothers, Steve spoke so fondly of the other man it was clear that they were especially close and she understood how his death would linger on Steve's shoulders 90 years later.

Steve teased her about stumbling into Bucky and confirmed that he was a real old fashioned gentleman, but yes -- he was a lady killer. However, Steve said, Bucky never really spoke about women the way he talked about her. Steve said the next day he had heard about the "great dame" at the diner that he thought was fascinating, and he spoke so much about their conversation that Steve was starting to get sick of them. He admitted that when he met Darcy in the alley that she couldn't have been anyone other than Bucky's Rose that he had heard so much about. Something about him 'going into detail' about her features that her identity was solved before she ever introduced herself.

He also said that if Bucky ever managed to settle his heart onto one woman, a woman like her would be the sort to do it. His compliments made Darcy blush and she'd push him to no avail, telling him he didn't know what he was talking about. 

Their frequent conversations on the man certainly made her question her morality. She felt like she was getting closer to the man within even uttering a word to him. His fate loomed over her mind each and every day she would greet Steve in the morning. She had a selfish solution in her mind, one she tried to say would help Steve out more than it would her -- Tell Steve about the Research Center and where Bucky's body would be found so he could save him, or let the past remain unchanged.

Every day it was getting harder and harder to remember which choice was the right one.

Their truck stopped at their destination and Darcy hopped out of the back with the other girls, the Dancers, and she took a look around at her surroundings. So far their tour had been full of happy Soldiers and young children who all idolized Steve and asked for Captain America's autograph. Usually at loud and festive fairs with laughter and cheering to be heard from all around them.

This base was eerily silent. She could hear some occasional boot steps and shuffling, but there was no talking, no laughing, no anything. The weather was dim and dreary, skies grey and the air moist. There was a fog reflective of the camp, looming around murky and quiet. She couldn't catch a single eye of any of the passersby, they were all looking at the feet or blankly ahead of them. Usually a crowd of women would garner some catcalls and shouted flirts, but this camp was not in a jovial mood. She knew for a fact that this crowd would not be one willing to put up with Steve's usual "fight the American fight!" schpeel. 

And hey! She was right. The crowd booed Steve, even throwing whatever they could at the Soldier. Cheering for the girls to come back on, Darcy ushered them back onstage and gave Steve a look of Pity when he made eye contact with her. He was removing his helmet and he threw his little shield to the ground in a huff and made his way over to a pile of luggage, putting his long trench coat on and sitting down, sketch book opened, his pen furiously making contact.

That sketch book was full of Steve's innermost thoughts. If she ever made it back home she was surely going to hunt it down and see if he ever did manage to get it back because as much as she was great conversation for Steve, she knew that little book helped him through his recent transformation. She managed to see a couple pages when he was flipping through them, he loved to draw scenery and people -- she caught a glimpse of a drawing of her and wanted to see it in great detail but she didn't want to impose.

She was putting her trademark red coat on slowly, taking the time to button it up and she hunted for her hat since the rain was lighting misting. She was heading towards Steve when she saw Peggy beat her to him. She paused, knowing the two really enjoyed each others company. The way that the two of them interacted simply with their body language was so adorable Darcy couldn't help herself and found herself rooting for the two to get together, but she knew better. 

Suddenly Steve shot up and started charging towards one of the larger tents, Peggy hauling ass to keep up. Nosey as ever, Darcy followed suit, attempting to be discreet and unseen in her bright red coat. Steve slipped into the tent, Peggy right behind them. Through the gaps in the tent she saw Colonel Phillips who was busy by a typewriter. She wasn't close enough to hear what the two men were talking about, but Phillips was on his feet so she knew it wasn't good. Just as quick as he entered, Steve was storming out of the tent when he caught sight of Darcy. She went over to her and grabbed her arm, dragging her away from the tent. Stumbling away, she shot a look at Peggy and mouthed a 'help' to the woman, and thankfully she followed the pair.

When Steve finally stopped she pulled her arm back to her body, rubbing where his hand squeezed, complaining. 

"Shit Steve, warn a girl first before you man handle her!" She said with a slight snarl, trying to brush off the wrinkles he made.

"Rose, the Colonel has reported the Bucky's been killed in the last raid. I don't believe him and I'm going to Austria to save him and the other captured soldiers." He rushed out quietly so he knew only she and Peggy could here.

Darcy short Peggy a side glance and gave Steve a look of disbelief.

"Uh...Steve, don't be offended by my asking but _how_ is that going to happen?"

Steve looked around frantically, finally admitting to himself that he didn't really have a solid plan. "I'll walk if I have to". He said firmly.

"Dude, Austria isn't close. I mean, maybe on the map it doesn't seem too bad but really? You're looking at a pretty big walk with no weapons or resources," she said to him gently. Steve's single brow went up at the word 'dude', but Darcy ignored it.

Finally Peggy chimed in. "Do you really mean it Steve? You want to do some real good in the world? If you're not joking, I can get you into Austria."

Shit. Darcy knew this meant another plane. Another small Stark owned plane over war torn Europe. 

***

And once again, she was right. Seated on the bench beside Peggy opposite of Steve, Darcy was in a small passenger plane with Howard at the controls. She could hear explosions and even more concerning sounds outside the walls of the plane as fast as Howard could fly it. She doesn't know why she said she wanted to come, she still hadn't made up her mind about Bucky.

Really though, if Bucky did come back what would happen? He might meet and marry a nice girl and start a family, or maybe he would simply live his days waiting for new on his friend Steve to come back up from the ocean. He was a single, lowly man. She tried to concentrate on her inner dialogue while Steve freaked out about fondue. 

Seriously...what was the difference that one man could do? Her presence in the past would surely change a whole slew of things once she came back, which was why she tried to not talk to anyone new or say anything that would get her attention. She wouldn't know if her impact on the past was going to be negative or positive, so really, she reasoned, _what was the difference one man would make?_

Steve got up from his seat and started checking the buckles of his parachute, ensuring the safety tool was going to work effectively. What? Was he leaving already? He opened the door and held his left hand on the edge of the open door, right hand affixing his goggles properly on his face. She found herself jumping up and crossing the plane in two strides, and she put her right hand on Steve's right arm, getting his attention. He turned to make more room for her.

She guessed that she had finally made her decision.

She let out the breath she had been holding in, trying to improvise a reason for her suggestion that was about to happen. 

"Rose don't worry, I'll be fine!" He tried to assure her, unaware of her real problem.

"Steve, you _need_ to check the Research section of the facility, the Nazi's and Hydra like to experiment on soldiers and we can't leave any stone upturned." she said in a whisper so only he could hear her. He frowned at her and let out a confused "Pardon?"

"Research facility. US Soldiers. Save them" she said quickly, trying to keep it short so Peggy wouldn't catch on. Suddenly the plane made a sharp tilt to the right, with Howard shouting out a "Enemy fire!" Darcy had stumbled and tripped, hand leaving Steve's arm and she found herself losing her footing and falling down.

Out of the open door of the plane.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed a couple of days - this was a frustrating chapter to write.

_Awe fuck_ Darcy thought, watching the plane get farther and farther away from her. It was hard to keep her eyes open even though she was facing up at the sky – her hair had turned into tiny whips that were smacking her face and torso so hard she stung from it. She saw Steve jump out of the plane and nosedive for her, and she reached her arms up so he could easily grab them.

Once he got to her, he grabbed her hands and pulled himself for her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs tightly around his waist. The two of them could easily feel the burn of their faces and they blushed furiously and tried to focus on the task at hand. Darcy could hear explosions down below, and she kept her eyes shut. She heard Steve yell in her ear if she was ready and she nodded into his neck.

The jerk of the parachute knocked the breath out of her and she let out a groan of discomfort. They drifted over Austria, and when they landed Darcy threw up. She missed Steve’s boots though, so that was good. As she was hacking out her guts she made a promise to herself – Pants and Boots only from now on. She still hadn’t grasped the balance of heels and flirty skirts were pointless during wartime. She would be back to the old Darcy wardrobe if she ever made it back to camp, never mind her time.

Steve, the gentleman that he was, was holding her hair back and rubbing her back while she made a series of guttural noises and spat out on the ground.

“Sorry Steve, but uh…” She wheezed, the taste of bile making her choke, “Yea I thought maybe if I was gunna die it would be then, heh”. He gave her a pitiful smile and she started to brush her released hair with her fingers. Knotty. Of course.

“So…what are we doing now? Veto leaving me here, that shit ain’t happenin’.” She said nonchalantly to him and he gave her a look of disapproval at her choice of words. Her manners thrown out the window since she had just done the same.

She could feel herself sinking into the moist ground. They needed to get moving. Steve rubbed the back of his head, humming about the situation. She figured that Peggy and Howard knew she was alive because they surely saw Steve grab her so she wasn’t worried about them, but still. She was complete hindrance to his plan.

Wait. Was she?

“Come on Steve, lead the way, we’ve got no time to waste. And if you see a soldier my size, be sure to knock him out because we aren’t getting anywhere with me dressed this way.” Darcy said to him, hope in her voice. If she could get to the Hydra base with Steve, she could probably help with the hostages. She put aside her selfish reasons for wanting to help out and tried to convince herself it was for the greater good.

“Rose, I can’t endanger you by allowing you to join me on this mission.” He said firmly, in a way that reminded her of ‘her’ Steve from the modern age.

“Steve I’m going to be worse off if I get left here. Look at me, I’m a walking target. And I got out of Europe once already, you bet your ass I’m getting out of it again!” She pointed her finger at him and tried her damn best to Channel a little bit of Natasha Romanoff or Maria Hill into her voice. He looked at her wide eyed, but turned around, walking in the right direction growling under his breath.

Her adrenaline was pumping, she was bossing around Captain America! She ran up to stay close to him, mimicking each duck or movement he made even though she didn’t know what for.

‘This is it’ she thought to herself, her and Steve not saying a word to each other as they trekked through the wildness of Austria.

 

*

 

“Rose,” Steve hissed at her, “hurry up!”

Steve and Darcy had made it to the Hydra base during nightfall and he broke into a storage facility so she could get in some more discreet clothing before he stormed inside.

Turns out there weren’t many Nazi’s her size, so she was strapped for options when she simply wanted a good pair of boots. She let out an “ah-ha” when she found a pair that was only a bit bigger than her own feet and she jammed a pair of socks into the toes so they would fit snug. She grabbed a spare messenger bag and jammed her tattered dress, shoes and coat into it. She walked out from the curtain she was changing behind and Steve let out a snort, regardless of the tension of their situation.

She was wearing a black Hydra uniform that she was much too short for, so the pants where rolled up to settle above the top of the laced up black boots. The coat appeared to fit lengthwise, the end sitting at her hips and it was only because of her curvy bust that helped with the fit of the coat. She wore the belt around her waist, which only accentuated her figure in the ill-fitting uniform. She had grabbed a military standard cap with visor so she could stuff her braided hair under it.

“So…is this okay?” Darcy said skeptically to Steve, who now held his hand up to his mouth, fighting laughter. “Mouth shut Rogers, I don’t have an easy body to hide.” She put her hands on her hips, one hip cocked out.

Steve only nodded and turned around, beckoning her with his hand. She crept up behind him silently, grateful for the change in shoes. Flat boots were more her style.

“I want you to stay out of sight, I’m going to enter behind those trucks to that door-“ he pointed, “and I figure I’m not getting out of here without them knowing what’s going on – so hide until you see our soldiers coming out and join up with them. I’d work on ripping that Hydra badge off.” He gestured to her arm where a bold Red and Black Hydra logo sat.

Darcy merely nodded, completely unprepared for what was going to happen. She hadn’t been very good at staying safe and out of the way the last few times she had been given those orders. She watched Steve effortlessly make his way over to the door, knocking on it and handling the guard with a swift punch and slipping through, disappearing from sight. 

So here she was now, hiding out behind the tire of a giant truck, frantically looking around for any activity when she heard a couple of soldiers speaking from around the corner, nearly out of earshot but she managed to make out a single name:

Zola.

Darcy didn't know a whole lot about him, except that he had defected or had been forced to work for the US Government after WW2 because of his advancements with Technology. She also know that it was Zola's idea to perform experiments on American soldiers. Her heartbeat quickened, breathing becoming ragged. Bucky would be up there. And even though she had already warned Steve about the research facility, what if he didn't make it?

She chose to tread lightly and follow Steve's lead. She calmly walked over to the door and hopped over the guard that Steve knocked out to get through still propping it open and went inside. Dark and gloomy! Excellent.

Looking around, she could easily follow Steve's path of destruction. There were knocked out soldiers scattered around. She went up to a soldier and saw the gun they were carrying. Frowning, she took a closer look -- where had she seen this gun before?

 

It looked like something out of a Science Fiction movie, blue glowing 'fuel' seemed to power the long silver cylinder, and Darcy couldn't quite place it. She ignored it, assuming she had merely gotten it confused with a movie she saw once. She took the revolver instead, figuring that she at least knew how to use it, and she had it cocked in her right hand, pointing down. She slowly walked down a hallway until she found a map of the building. Using her finger to search for where she was in relation to where the research level was, she realized it wasn't listed.

"But if it's not listed, it's probably the only level with no description..." she mused, finger tapping on the fourth floor. Behind her where the emergency stairs.

 

"Let's fuck shit up" she swore, taking pleasure at having no one to remind her of her language. 

Although her boots were clumsy and ill fitting, Darcy was taking the steps two at a time, the leather outfit making her sweat and the weight of it started to make her legs burn. But the time she got to the fourth floor the noise downstairs had increased exponentially. There were explosions now. She needed to hurry. She flew through the door to the research floor and she looked around. Zero activity, perfect. 

She stomped down the hallway, the clunky boots hindering her ability to sneak around. She started to open every door she came past. Books, books, desks and papers, telescope -- not a whole lot. There were boxes and filing cabinets in the hallway that she needed to walk around, it was really disorganized here. She scoffed, laughing at the imperfect feature of the Nazi soldiers. 

Then she opened a door that made her scream out loud before she managed to muffle it with her hand.

Inside the cold room was a cryogenic tube, and in it placed in a standing position was Darcy's alien hitchhiker. 

She had forgotten all about him and leaving the body in the freight car over 6 months ago. Suddenly the guns downstairs made sense. She had given the Nazi's a weapon that they could replicate and harness the Tessarect’s powers to fuel them. They were using Alien technology to equip their soldiers.

"Holy _shit_ " she yelped, taking off her hat and letting the braid fall. She started to fan her face with the hat and looked around the room. There was a table that looked like what the Alien may have had on his person. There was a lot of junk that Darcy didn't recognize even being from Earth, she picked up a small disc that she remembered served as a sort of communication device between the Aliens and Loki’s scepter. She pocketed it. Why? She had no idea, but maybe this dude’s stuff had some insight to how they got here in the first place. 

She inspected the controls of the cryogenic container keeping the Alien cold. She noted the ‘Y’ incision on the Aliens chest, realizing that they had performed an autopsy on the creature. She saw a series of tubes feeding into the chamber and realized that they were what was giving it power. She grabbed a set of neoprene like gloves off the table and started yanking. No way was she being responsible for more Alien discoveries in the 40s. The tubes hissed cold frosty steam out of them when she removed it and the frozen chamber no longer hummed with power. She fluttered around the room, noticing numerous files and notes on the Alien and his objects.

She grabbed as many files as her stuffed messenger bag could handle, taking out her damaged clothing items and throwing them in the garbage bin in the corner. Bag significantly heavier, she scanned the room for anything else she could pilfer.

She heard some loud yelling outside and ducked down out of instinct. The yelling was in German, and there were a lot of footsteps charging by, completely ignoring the room Darcy was hiding in. As soon as the footsteps fell out of earshot, she crept out and started to walk cautiously down the hallway they were running from. Lights were flickering and the hallway silent, she could hear mumbling and footsteps in the hallway around the corner. Panicked, she looked around her and realized there was no good place to hide. Her brow sweating and the taste of bile creeping up her throat, she grabbed the borrowed revolver and made sure it was cocked and ready to shoot. She could feel her hands sweating and she tried to steady them.

No way was she dying in Austria today. No. 

She started to remind herself it was just like a Taser. Hold it the same way as a Taser, point the same and fire. Then turn and run. She voices got closer and she realized that one set of footsteps seemed staggered and weak and her spirit lifted. One weak soldier meant an easy getaway. She rested her back against the wall and as soon as the one figure passed through, holding up the other one she aimed her gun, drawing the attention of the taller one.

“Rose?!”

“Steve?!” She cried out, lowering the gun and stuffing it into her thigh holster. She could have cried in relief. “Sorry, sorry” she said, taking off her hat and running her right hand through the loose tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid.

“Rose?” the other man crocked out, voice hoarse. She finally looked at the figure.

“Bucky…?” she said softly, meeting his eyes. His scruffy face broke out into a smile, though he grimaced right after, hand on his stomach. She went over to help, softly touching his shoulder and hovering over his hand. 

“Are you alright?” She asked, eyes flicking to Steve before meeting Bucky’s again. 

He shook his head and stood up a bit straighter, “Don’t worry Doll, never better.”

Steve frowned and looked back at a recent boom from where the two came from. 

“We have got to get out of here – now,” he said, moving forward. Darcy gestured for Bucky to get in front of her, pointing to the gun now on her thigh and giving him two thumbs up and a smile signaling that she would watch their backs. He was the rescue after all, chivalry be damned. 

Steve led them through a door and down some stairs made from see through racking. Darcy was patient with Bucky, those darned butterflies floating around incessantly in her stomach. Could have been the hunger she felt as well, but she knew better. She and Steve had messed around with the past (him unknowingly) and she was curious what changes Bucky’s survival would have on her world. 

Steve stopped suddenly and Bucky dragged his feet to the railing and he rested his body on it and Darcy brought up the rear of the trio. She looked down and was shocked by the damage she saw. Insane flames were below, thunderous explosions not far off. She was sweating now from the heat. She looked up at the men and noticed they were glaring across the gap.

Schmidt and Zola were staring right back at them. Zola was staring at Bucky with a look of shock an awe, and Schmidt and Steve had started their ‘Good guy, Bad guy’ banter, walking towards each other on a foot bridge. Darcy frowned at Zola and noticed the hateful stare Bucky gave him. Zola finally seemed to take notice of Darcy’s presence, surprised to see a woman caught in the action – a woman wearing a bad fitting Hydra elite uniform. He said something nasty in German, and Darcy only knew it was Nasty because Bucky yelled out at him right afterwards. She put her hand on Bucky’s shoulder and looked up at Steve.

Schmidt was peeling his face off. Both Darcy and Bucky recoiled from the image unfolding in front of them, and Darcy’s lip curled up into a disgusted snarl. 

Schmidt was bragging again, Bucky chimed in with a “you don’t have one of those do you?” to Steve to which Darcy snorted. Schmidt looked right at Darcy and snarled with what little expressive skin was left on his face. Her eyes grew wide and she grimaced at his stare, letting out a long “ew”, one which she knew he heard. His brows furrowed and suddenly, gunfire. Bucky grabbed her and shoved her behind him while Steve brought his pathetic shield up. More explosions below rocked the racking they were standing on and suddenly Schmidt and Zola ran, throwing out bad guy promises – revenge, etc. etc. 

The foot bridge cracked and loosened from one end and Steve yelled for Rose to cross. 

“You are kidding, right? I literally just fell out of a plane, Steve.” She said dryly, listening to his instructions anyway. She took a look at the heavy bag she was carrying, realizing that she only took it so Hydra wouldn’t have it. She tossed it with some struggle and watched the bag fall into the flames. The men didn’t question her actions.

She basically ran across the footbridge, thankful for the stability it managed to offer her. She was so grateful for the shoes she wore now, stylish heels now a distant memory. Bucky followed her, and he looked ill during his crossing. 

All three realized that the bridge was going to give out below him and Darcy yelled for him to jump just as the bridge crumbled below his feet. His chest hit against the racking and Darcy helped pull him up. They looked up at Steve who was hopping backwards, gearing up to jump across.

“Bucky, we gotta move,” Darcy said, pulling him over to the door as they watched Steve leap over the gap, explosions and flames below setting the scene for an awesome action shot. She nodded her head in approval and the three charged through the door, desperate to get out of the building alive.

 

*

 

They met up with Dum Dum Dugan and the other freed hostages outside. The men were all surprised that Captain America just ran a successful mission for them with a petite woman trailing behind. The three of them, Steve, Bucky and Darcy, all got pats on their backs as they checked over the American soldiers. 

Dum Dum had ‘liberated’ numerous tanks and trucks for the trek home and the men who were less hurt than the others had raided the supply buildings, rations and guns being passed around to everyone. Darcy was handed a stale oat bar which she ate hastily, just realizing how starved she was. 

Dum Dum walked over to her and held out his hand, “Well sprite, you must be Rose. Heard all about you” he said, shaking her hand firmly and enthusiastically. She laughed at him, he seemed pretty chipper for a man who just spent a bunch of time as a POW. 

“Oh really? Bucky to blame? All lies, I’m sure,” she said cheekily, getting an eruption of laughter from the older man. He released her hand and gave her shoulder two firms pats that vibrated through her before walking away. 

Darcy wandered around the soldiers, checked that they were all doing alright, head starting to hurt from the amount of nodding she was doing. She returned to Steve and Bucky, relieved that they all made it out alive. She knew things would be a bit different than she remembered from history books, but she was hopeful that things would work out for the better. Bucky and her locked eyes, his stare causing her to blush a burning red. He folded a lock of loose hair behind her ear and said a soft “thanks” for her to hear, gesturing with a nod to the building they ran out of. Steve left to get people set up on their vehicles and left the two alone.

“You look like crap,” Darcy said, smiling to Bucky. He laughed through his nose and looked up to the sky, focusing on the space all around her before licking the side of his upper lip, nodding at her. 

“Hey, I’m sure I look like crap too. We can look like crap together.” He reached out and caught her hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. They stood in silence, both staring at their connected hands. His head moved up, catching her attention. She stared up at him and couldn’t help but smile that he wasn’t dead in the building behind them up in flames. He gave her a small smile before leaning in a bit, head dropping down to lightly touch her lips before the soldiers let out a victory cheer, yelping and pumping their arms above them after Steve had stood fully upright on the top of a tank. Bucky steadied himself by leaning on Darcy, and the two looked around at the soldier’s merry attitude  
.  
Steve let out a victory cheer, and the troop began to head out towards their camp. Bucky and Darcy ran to catch up to Steve on the front line, leading the way.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR: Darcy and Bucky make out.

The trek home seemed to take no time at all. They arrived at the camp greeted with celebration and hollers of gratitude, everyone cheering for Captain America. Darcy noticed Peggy standing front and center immediately, staring at Steve Rogers. A smile graced her face, but it was paired with an irksome glare. Colonel Phillips stormed up, attempting to reprimand Steve but he beat him to it, accepting any and all blame on the situation. Darcy ducked out of the way, not looking forward to the admonishment she would surely receive for falling out of Howard’s airplane and following Steve into an active mission.

Thankfully it was so chaotic around her, slipping away wasn’t difficult. She headed towards the tour truck that she and Steve arrived in, grateful that no one took it away since it looked like the dancers left. She clambered in through the back door, kicking off the too-big boots, peeling away the socks that were damp and stuck to her feet. She started to undress, the clothing finally taking a toll on her. Leather was _hot_ and new leather was certainly not easy to walk in. Her body was stiff from the long walk paired with the obnoxious outfit she was in. Her skin was grateful for the fresh air to be hitting it, and she undid her braid as she walked to a canteen of water. She damped a cloth out of her suitcase she had brought up and dampened it, wiping her face. She made a ‘eugh’ sound when she looked at the cloth. Dirt, grim and other foreign substances were lingering on the cloth now.

“I would kill for some wet wipes right now,” she said to herself, changing into fresh undergarments and giving herself a quick cold wipe down, desperate to get clean. She stared at her suitcase, unsatisfied by the lack of pant options she had brought along with her. She was going to guilt Howard into buying her a whole bunch of pants for tipping her out of a plane. She tossed on a dark green dress, with an elastic waist holding up a circle skirt with a button up top. As much as she and dresses weren’t the best of friends right now, she was grateful for the fresh outfit. 

Looking in the mirror she figured she looked as good as she was going to get without a proper bath or shower. She applied the lightest touch of tinted lip crème to hydrate her dry lips and sprayed on some perfume to mask the odor she was sure she carried with her. Nearly 4 days without a shower? She knew she didn’t smell good and she wasn’t going to pretend she did either. She gathered up the hydra suit and shoved it into a free bag, wondering if she could pretend she stayed in the truck the entire time. She shoved the under her cot. The truck held two cots hanging from the wall, and Steve was gracious enough to let Darcy have the bottom one since she expressed the preference of staying close to the ground.

Pulling on clean stockings, she grabbed a pair of low heeled oxfords and tied the straps tight. The clunky heels were easier to walk on the damp ground in and she wasn’t looking for any more accidents. She grabbed a thick wool cardigan to wear over her dress and took a quick glance in the mirror before confronting Peggy and the Colonel. ‘Passable’ she thought, and swung the door open to find Bucky ready to knock on the door.

“Oh Jesus!” She said, hand rushing to her heart in surprise and jumping down the single step on the truck to meet him on the ground.

“Well Miss, my name’s Bucky…” he smiled at her, head swaying with his attitude. He broke out in a smile and she blushed a bit. “You scared me. What are you doing over here?” She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t really want to see the nurse right now, and I’m fine. I want to see you though – what _are_ you doing here? This ain’t no place for a dame like you.” He frowned at the last bit out of concern.

She sighed, looking down. “Dr. Erskine was shot and killed.” Bucky’s eyebrows shot up and his mouth opened slightly. He didn’t really know the man personally, but he knew about him through conversation with Darcy. He knew that the Doc was an important person to her, he let her continue her story. 

“So Agent Carter figured that I could keep an eye on Steve while he was touring. I had a hand in the success of the serum and I’m here for ‘observation’.” She finished, using her fingers to quote around the last word.

“That explains why you’re _here_ ,” he followed, both pointer fingers aimed at the ground. “Italy. What were you doing raiding a Hydra base with Steve?”

Rolling her eyes and releasing an even bigger sigh she mumbled her answer.

“Pardon?” Bucky asked, moving a bit closer.

“I fell out of a plane.” She said, looking up and him and giving him an apologetic face. He smiled, head shaking in soft laughter. 

It was good to hear him laugh. He had the sort of laugh that made everyone around him unable to hold in a smile. She was so happy he was alive, even if their romance would be brief. Again they caught themselves staring at the other and he moved forward to pull her into a hug.

“I’m glad to see you Rose, it’s been rough”. She gripped the back of his shirt and held herself close, raising up on her tippy toes to make contact with as much of his body as she could. He hummed with delight and she could feel him smile against her neck. He planted a kiss there and drew his head back only to dip back and claim her lips passionately. They were both frantic, moving with the other and getting caught in the moment. 

He grabbed her face with both hands and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer. He walked her backwards and her back hit the truck, making some objects inside clink together. They met each other with a matching desire, both desperate to be devoured completely. They would take breaks from their necking, resting their foreheads together before one would grab the others lips with the teeth, starting it up again. 

Darcy moaned when Bucky drifted to her neck, kissing a sensitive spot and suckling lightly, not enough to leave a mark but strong enough the pressure made her resolve crack. Her leg moved between his and her knee stroked his inner thigh, her hands running through his hair now. He made an appreciative noise into her head and replied with enthusiasm, grinding his pelvis into her thigh. Both of them moaned and Darcy pulled her head back in pleasure, able to feel his ‘interest’ digging into her. She conked her head on the truck but made no complaints. Making out wasn’t supposed to be comfortable she decided right there. She took her leg out from between his and tried to wrap her legs around his waist. He caught on, taking his hands from her shoulder and face and grabbed her thighs, easily lifting her into place, giving him the opportunity to get closer, pressing their pelvises together, Darcy groaning in pleasure. 

Suddenly they heard the driver side door open and someone mumbling. Bucky quickly peeked from around the corner of the truck to see who was there. “Shit,” he said in a hushed whisper, leaning back and removing Darcy from his hips, straightening out his hair and pulling his shirt from his pants to mask his arousal. Darcy was panting, her lips felt bruised and cheeks were certainly flushed. She nodded to herself, confirmed that this moment was quite possibly the hottest make out session of her life. She tried to fix her tousled hair and straighten out her skirt and settle her desire for the man in front of her. They looked at each other and Bucky laughed softy. He gestured to the driver’s side door, “You go first.” 

She nodded and smiled, before turning around and walking up to Steve who was leaning over to grab something out of the truck that was settled on the passenger’s side. She jabbed her knuckle into his ribs, getting a sharp bolt of laughter from him and causing him to jump up and out of the truck, smacking his head on the trucks frame. He was rubbing his head when he finally looked at Darcy.  
“What was that for?” He asked. 

“Watchya doin’ Capt’n? Shouldn’t you be celebrating?” She asked him, wondering when Bucky would make his appearance. She was still breathless from their session and hoped Steve didn’t notice anything.  
“Grabbing my watch. Do you still have your camera and developing tools?” He asked her, nodding towards the truck. Darcy nodded to him. “Do you think you could take a picture for me?” She nodded again, a skeptical look upon her face. He smiled at her. They walked to the other side of the truck. She noticed Bucky was not sticking around. She walked into the truck and dug around her things, bringing out the camera Howard had gifted her for her birthday.

It was essentially a slower film camera from her time. It was painful to hold due to the weight and she was shit at taking good photos on an iPhone, but once she figured out the proper way to develop the photos, she knew they would look great.

She met Steve outside the truck, and saw him chatting with Bucky, who had found himself a rather big trench coat. They both smiled and nodded to each other but didn’t say thing more than a polite greeting. 

“Why do you need my camera Steve?” she inquired, trying to distract herself from the flushed soldier across from her. 

“I need you to take a picture.” He said simply.

She rolled her eyes, “Obviously. Of what, smartass.” Bucky laughed at her and Steve shook his head smiling. “Peggy.” He finally answered.

She broke out in a big grin, just beside herself with excitement. “Does she know she’s your forever girl?!” she asked him, vibrating with happiness. He blushed a bright red and refused to look at her. 

“So you want a creeper shot or a proper posed shot?” She asked, completely on board with the picture taking.

Steve’s eyebrow raised up. “Creeper?” he asked, afraid of the answer she would give.

She thought about a better word. “Candid shot, Steve. Bad joke, sorry.” He nodded at her. “Your choice.” He replied. She gave him a smile in approval.

“Okay, but you have to do something for me” she said, gearing up the camera and taking the flash attachment out of the bag, hooking it onto the top of the device. She let the men wait in confusion as she spent a couple of minutes setting up the flash. She flipped the camera around to point it at her and shuffled between the two men.

“Squish together!” She said, and she passed the heavy camera to Steve. “Hold it up above us and get all three of us in the shot! When you’re steady hit the big button” Steve listened and clicked the button after a couple of seconds and the flash blinded the three of them. She retrieved her camera and the phrase ‘group shot!’ rang in her head and she laughed to herself. She started cranking the film to get ready for another picture. Steve snapped his fingers. “I’ve got to go. I found some Hydra bases marked where they kept Bucky – I’ve got to tell the Colonel and Peggy.” And with that he ran back to the Colonel’s tent. Just Bucky and Darcy again. They looked at each other and Darcy blushed.

“So…earlier. That was…nice.” Darcy said lamely. What, was she taking flirting lessons from Steve now? She shook her head at herself. “Never mind, ignore that. Ruined the moment.” And Bucky laughed. He took the camera from her. “Is this ready for a shot?” He asked her and she nodded to him. He came in close and tried to make sure that he could see both of their reflections in the lens. “Ready?” he asked her, Darcy nodded.

“1…2…3-. “Bucky shifted his head and laid a big kiss on Darcy’s cheek, causing her to erupt in laughter and he clicked the button, flash going off. Returning her camera he looped his arm through hers and follow Steve, both smiling like idiots to themselves. 

Later, after she managed to snap a great candid shot of Peggy, she was developing her pictures in a dark room near the Colonel’s tent. Returning after dinner to check on the photos, she went over everything to make sure they were perfect. Peggy’s photo was smaller so it looked the best, the group shot looked perfect but the one Bucky took of them – her laughing with her eyes closed and Bucky planting a big kiss on her cheek was her favourite. A little blurry, the effect gave it an ethereal look. The picture instantly made her smile just by looking at it and that’s when she realized she was in trouble.

Somewhere along the lines, she had really fallen in love with Bucky Barnes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how film is developed. I don't care to know. This is my magical Howard Stark camera and Darcy can develop film now. :D


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahoy! Sexy times are had. Pay attention to the line break if you are not interested in reading poorly written smut.

Many things changed when Steve told Peggy and Colonel Phillips about the marked Hydra bases from the map in Schmidt’s facility. Steve and Colonel Phillips began discussing the formation of a group of soldiers to fight alongside Captain America. Rough team name idea being discussed was “Howling Commandos”. Another thing was that Howard came out immediately and recruited Darcy into being his assistant for their duties.

Darcy and Howard were assigned to weapons design, more so the latter with the first having a permanent chaperone to watch over her. Thankfully Peggy and Howard had covered for her, telling no one she was dumped out of a plane thankfully assuming that Steve was successful in her rescue. She was grateful, because the last thing she needed was getting sent home from the Colonel. Word quickly got around and all the soldiers agreed that there was no sign of ‘Rose’ at the Hydra base. She was grateful she was being written out of history. She didn’t want to think too hard about time travel but she was hoping her visit to the past would be as slick as Marty McFly’s visit. With less making out with family.

The hostage soldiers had brought a bunch of the Alien inspired weapons with them, and Darcy’s basic knowledge on the Tessarect made it possible for them to replicate the energy source in a similar manner that aided Steve’s transformation. Howard was attempting to harness the raw power of the guns, but the two of them were both confused by the overall mechanics.

They did create the shield however. And a large part of Darcy was so proud that she had a hand in the development in the shield. She had suggested Vibranium, not knowing it was super rare in the 40s(she remembered reading something about Wakanda being a main source of Vibranium in her time) and she was lucky that Howard had some on hand, but she was even _luckier_ he didn’t question her knowledge on the rare metal.

Peggy and Steve started becoming very buddy-buddy and discussing plans with one another. They were painfully cute. Darcy and Bucky had shared a few promised glances but had no chance to continue their passionate session outside the tour truck. Steve had officially moved into the Army Tents on base, leaving Darcy the small truck to herself. They parked it right by the building she was working in with Howard, and she loved it. It offered her a private space to distance herself from the pressure. She also liked the idea that if anyone should seriously piss her off, she was free to drive her little home away for an even more distanced break.

Right now, Darcy was holding onto her iPhone. Afraid to turn it on in fear of draining the battery – which she doubted even worked because it had nearly been 6 months without a charge. She was thinking about how on earth she would manage finding a way back home with what limited understanding on the Tessarect she had. She had found some books in Erskine’s pile on Old Norse legends where it spoke about the cube, but the actual function and dynamics of the thing was unknown.

She looked over on her right and stared at the Alien’s communicator she had lifted from the Hydra base. She had forgotten about it for a while until she was cleaning up under her cot. If she could figure out how to make the thing work, or understand how the mechanics worked she would think that travelling through a wormhole would be easier. The familiar headache she had when thinking about time travel returned and she jammed both of the objects back into their hiding place and continued getting ready for the night. Peggy had told her that a bunch of people were going out for a celebration before heading out to the Hydra bases with Steve Rogers and Colonel Phillips handpicked soldiers.

Since this was the first planned event out where the objective of the night was _party_ , Darcy had tried her best to style her hair and look the absolute best she could with what limited resources she had. Thankfully due to her diet in the 40s her skin had never been clearer, so makeup was simply mascara, some rogue and bright red lipstick. She knew that Peggy mentioned wearing a red dress, so she opted for a pale blue dress that made her eyes pop. The dress was knee length, made for dancing. The top had cropped sleeves, a V Neck bodice and ruching in a small section over her bust. There was a chiffon overlay from between the bust to the bottom of the dress, making the flirty skirt a bit fancier. Her shoes were simple short black heels with a Mary Jane strap.

She looked in the mirror and started pinning her hair. She had left them in curlers to maximize the wavy nature of her locks, and pinned the sides up and behind her head, fastening them with the hairpins she was given by Dr. Erskine. Lighting fixing her lipstick, she hopped out of the truck to make her way to the hall to celebrate with Peggy and the men.

She entered the building, waving and rolling her eyes to the men that were wolf whistling at her. She turned down a hallway and saw a figure that was definitely Peggy, wearing a fitted Red Dress. She slowed down, not wanting to stomp up to Peggy and interrupting whoever she was talking to. Peggy turned and walked down an adjacent hallway. Darcy caught up to who she was talking to – Steve and Bucky. The two were laughing and then caught sight of her, stopping both men in their tracks.

Darcy pointed her thumb to the door that Peggy walked through.

“Um, what the hell was that?” Darcy questioned, staring at Steve. He glanced around before settling back on her and gave her a questioning look.

“Why the hell is Carter walking by herself looking bangin’? God Steve, get a clue!” She grabbed his left arm and pulled him closer to her, before walking behind him and shoving him on his back towards Peggy’s direction.

“Go boy, go get her!” And pushed him through the threshold. She then turned around and looked at Bucky, who looked, for lack of a better word, scruffy. She grabbed the hem of her dress on either side and did a small curtsy.

Bucky bowed, and then looked at her, then back to himself. His arms out, he gave a look of defeat, accepting how he looked beside someone all gussied up.

“Gotta say Doll, you look amazing.” And he smiled, making Darcy break out into one. He grabbed her arm with his and smiled even bigger. “Say we going dancing?” He asked. Darcy nodded enthusiastically, allowing him to lead the way.

 

*

 

Her feet throbbed. She already wasn’t a good dancer to begin with, and begin thrown around to dance not only with Bucky, but share one with Dum Dum and Jones as well, she was exhausted. The night died down and she thanked everyone for the great time before taking Bucky’s outstretched hand and going outside to let the brisk air cool her down. The two walked around the camp, watching all the loitering soldiers wander back to bed. Bucky pulled her a little of base, and they wandered into some more wooded area. They came upon a large rock settled under a break in the trees. Bucky hopped up and then helped Darcy settle herself.

Sitting, she placed her palms face down a little behind her backside on either side, looking up into the stars. Bucky mimicked her stance and they sat in silence before Bucky broke it with depressing news.

“Steve and I head out tomorrow to raid those bases he found.” He said, still looking up.

Darcy nodded. “I know.”

“I’ll be fine though. I’ll come back.” He followed up, looking at her direction. She chuckled a bit out of her nose, smiling. “I know,” she repeated, smiling.

“Don’t know why I’d ever leave a girl like you waiting, Rose.”

She looked over at him with a small smile on her face. She finally had the right moment to make her request. He was leaving in the morning and it would be perfect to ask this of him because he wouldn’t have any opportunity to call her this in front of anyone for a while.

“Buck, can I ask you a favor?” she asked him, looking into his eyes. He had a quick flash of concern on his face before nodding. 

“Anything, Rose.”

She shook her head slightly.

“Please don’t call me Rose.” She asked. He gave a short look of confusion.

“What else am I supposed to call you?” He said, laughing a bit. “That’s your name, Doll.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yea, yea, I get that. But my…nickname is Darcy. I miss being called Darcy.”

He frowned a bit. Darcy knew that it was a boy’s name, he was probably curious how she would ever be given that nickname. 

Thankfully she took a lot of boring classes in her time. She cocked her head back and forth and made something up on the spot.

“I was known in school for being obsessed with Hydrogeology and geohydrology – it was just a nickname from an old Scientist I used to read about.” Man she hoped that sounded reasonable. She remembered the name ‘Henry Darcy’ from one of her science papers eons ago, but she certainly wouldn’t be able to discuss any of his theories in depth. Not even the one that shared her name.

Bucky thankfully only replied with an “Oh”, before nodding his head in confusion and settling his sights on the stars again.

“Daaarcy” he said, testing out her name. She broke out into a massive smile. Since being called Rose for nearly her entire time here, she had really grown to miss her name.

“Darcy. Okay, fine. You suit Darcy.” He said, happy with how it sounded.

She simply smiled before a light flashed on the two of them. It was Dum Dum.

“OI SARGENT!” He bellowed out, alerting everyone around who was loitering in the forest. “No fair for you to take up the lady’s time! Rest up boy, we’ve got a big day tomorrow.” And turning the light off and on a few times to flash it at the pair. Darcy groaned and let Bucky help her off the rock. He yelled back to Dugan, informing the older man that he would be back as soon as he escorted her back to her truck. Colder now, Darcy shivered and Bucky draped his coat over her as they walked back. She opened the door to the truck and pulled the light on inside. Rifling around a bit, she told Bucky to hold on a second. Once she found what she was looking for, she scribbled something on the back and jumped out of the truck, passing him his coat back and a picture.

He grabbed the picture and looked at it. It was a duplicate of the one she kept for herself – the one where Bucky was kissing her cheek. He flipped it over and gave her the biggest smile she had ever seen on him. He looked tired and needed a shave, but she thought he looked perfect right then and there. He gave her a big bear hug and thanked her before pulling out of it, flipping the picture over and over, unsure which side was his favourite.

On the back of the letter Darcy had written “XOXO Love Darcy” with a janky rose drawn after it. She never claimed she could draw but she figured he must know what it was. He was still standing close enough for her to feel his body heat and it sent a different kind of shiver down her body. She was breathing heavily, surprised that he could get such a reaction from her without doing anything. Maybe she was desperate for a sexual connection since her now 6 month dry spell or maybe Bucky really was this attractive but she had made up her mind with how much of a ‘lady’ she wanted to be perceived as.

She grabbed his hand and pulled herself closer to him, the other hand grabbing the back of his neck to pull him down for a deep kiss. Reciprocating immediately he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up slightly, enough to lift her feet off the ground for a moment. They were frantic and sloppy, desperate to be close to each other, uncaring if they were making a scene – no one was around to see anyway. He lowered her back on the ground and they separated briefly, both breathing heavily.  
Darcy nodded her head to the direction of inside the truck, and Bucky grabbed her hand, nodding.

She was going to make her time with Bucky as special as possible, just in case anything happened to one of them. She was scared for the future, treading on new ground since she and Steve had saved him from certain death. He silently followed her up the step into the truck, closing the door behind them, locking it. Darcy turned on a smaller lamp and pointed it down, so it created a soft dim environment once she shut the main light off. Bucky looked around the inside of the trailer, taking note of all the little character details that she had given it. With Steve’s cot permanently mounted up, not hanging, it was a better living space now. It was sizable, large enough to have two dressers mounted on the floor, with a small window covered with curtains above them. The bed was on the opposite wall, with a 3 foot gap between the two. There was a small space that acted like a closet for Darcy’s coats and shoes beside the bed, and there were some built in cabinets on the black wall. Like any woman her age (and from her time) however, the floor was scattered with laundry shoved in corners, there were scattered makeup and hair pins left on the dressers and her tiny cot bed was unmade.

She didn’t have to follow the rules of the army. And she was more comfortable this way, so it was how she lived. Bucky merely nodded, making a face of approval, chuckling at some of Steve’s artwork that she felt was good enough to decorate the space with. She removed her shoes and sat on the cot, watching Bucky take everything in, lifting the few photos she had developed and shuffling through them. There were plenty of her time in the Lab, many were of Howard giving her silly faces and Dr. Erskine reading or working at his desk, others were of the soldiers on guard, and most recently Steve and the Dancers from the tour around the world. He smiled and laughed at a few of the photos, before ending on the photo of the three of them taken only a few days ago.

He stared at it for a long while, enough time for Darcy to start feeling a little drowsy, and she yawned. Bucky snapped out of his daze and smiled at her, placing the photos back on the dresser. He crossed the short distance and grabbed her hand, lifting her into a lazy box step. He hummed a song Darcy knew was familiar, something that Sinatra would sing, and she laughed, letting him lead her tired body in a circle. She slowed the dance and grabbed both of his hands, walking backwards until she sat back down on the cot and she pulled him to her and he leaned down, giving her a chaste kiss. His hands came to rest on the cot on either side of her hips and she started to lean back, beckoning him to follow her lips with his. Soon She was on her back, her hips sliding over the side and her head uncomfortably pressed against the wall. Bucky realized her state of discomfort when she released a soft 'ow' when her head smacked against the wall with a loud thunk.

The two managed to shuffle to fit lengthwise on the bed, both squished together. Their discomfort was masked by the overall pleasure of being close to one another. Bucky was lightly tracing a pattern into Darcy's face, and Darcy was taking the time to memorize every detail in his face. From his perfectly formed brows to the slight faded scar right along his jaw from early childhood. The look in his eyes was exceptionally dangerous, laced with desire, paired with a gentle smile on his lips. Both knew that each was comfortable with the other, and the building pressure of need bubbling between the two was intense.

 

**shameless smut here**

 

She gave him a soft smile back and he kissed her again. Soft and light at first, but then he deepened the kiss by flicking her lips with his tongue, asking permission. Gently entering her mouth he brought a hand to her waist, rubbing from hip to just under her breast. His shirt had a deeper V in it and she slipped a hand through it, tracing his collar bone and top of his chest with her fingers.

He gripped her side hard, and slid his leg between hers, lifting it up to drag the hemline of her dress well above her knee. His hand that was rubbing her waist to drift down to her newly freed thigh. Once his hand hit her soft leg, she moaned a bit, Bucky reciprocating in her mouth.His thumb edged under the elastic of her underwear, and Darcy could feel the heat build up at her core. She drifted her hand down his chest until she hit the edge of his shirt and slid her hand under it, allowing the air to hit his warm stomach, causing him to shiver with pleasure. She traced his abdominal up and his shirt followed her hand. She hummed into his mouth, tugging on his shirt for him to get a clue. She shifted and allowed him to remove his shirt and unbuckle his belt. 

He gave a long hum in appreciation seeing him shirtless. Men weren't built like this where she came from. He was oddly tanned from his uniform, but smooth and rippled with muscles that contracted when he crawled up next to her on the bed. He was on one elbow now, hand resting on the other side of Darcy who was now flat on her back. His hips were tilted, resting slightly on his knees he planted on between her thighs and dipped down for another appreciative kiss.

She moved under him a bit, leg grazing his groin, to which he groaned with pleasure. She smiled evilly at him and did it again, but being sure to arch her back so her ample bosom would graze his shirtless chest. He let out a noise that sounded like a growl and dove back into kissing her firmly. He dug his groin into her leg and started a slow grind, and Darcy followed suit, and soon both of them were moaning into each other, getting more desperate for skin to skin contact. Her dress had shifted above her hips at this point, and she made a reach for the end, trying to pull it over her head. He caught on and lifted it up for her, gently tossing it behind them when it was finally removed. He took a moment to glance over her exposed body with an honest smile. Darcy heard him say 'wow' before giving her a kiss and laying on top of her. 

They battled orally for a few more minutes before working on her bra. She had already begun trying to get his pants off, fumbling with the zipper and trying to pull them off with her feet. He managed to unclip her bra and she let out a noise of appreciation and they fell free. Her naked torso made him suck in his breath deeply. His eyes were riddled with desire. He shimmied out of his pants and she noticed his arousal was making his briefs taught. He sat back on his haunches to take a longer look at her form and his hands drifted to his only remaining article of clothing, everything else scattered on the floor around them.

He gave her a loving soft look and smiled gently. 

"Rose...Darcy," He said, voice thick with desire. "Are you sure about this? We can stop anytime."

Darcy scoffed at his gentlemanly nature.

"Bucky, if you don't finish this you won't have time to die in the war because _I'll_ kill you." she said to him, voice shaky but firm. He laughed lightly at her before standing up and shifting out of his bottoms. The dim light in the truck did him no justice. She was positive that god was looking out for this man when he was created because his beauty envied David's Michelangelo. He moved his hands to her underpants and softly pulled them down her legs at a painstaking slow manner. 

He took the time to stare at her naked body, face laced with a mystified look, eyes hooded with desire. It was almost like he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to be here. He crawled over her form and she opened her legs to allow him to rest on top of her. Their combined exposed skin sent currents of electricity to Darcy's loins, and she was positive she had never been subject to such gentle loving before this. Neither her nor Bucky were virgins, and Darcy thought it made this transition easier for the both of them. 

He gasped into her open mouth when his hips connected with hers and his member had touched her most feminine parts. Both of them groaned wit unfulfilled pleasure and she bucked her hips at him. His hand came between her legs and encouraged her body to respond with his gentle fingers by getting very wet. He entered a digit into her core and she bucked into his hand. Another entered to join it and suddenly his thumb was pressed on her clit. She made a loud noise of appreciation, eyes opening wide, head rolling.

He positioned himself at her entrance and lightly probed again, soaking up her moisture and lubricating himself. He prodded lightly and his tip entered. She tried to grind or make a rhythm to hurry up what she had been waiting so long for but he held her in place, slowly entering one inch at a time, lightly pulling out and then going in again. For the last inch he pulled out all the way only to start a steady pumping rhythm. She matched his speed, trying to make sure that he knew she was comfortable with what was going on. Their bodies met in a glorious fashion, both players almost overstimulated by their sheer pleasure of not being around a willing member of the opposite sex for so long. Darcy ravaged his neck, sucking furiously and lightly pulling on his ear with her teeth causing him to slam a bit harder into her which made the bed squeak and a pleasured moan escape her.

She could feel the pressure building down below and could tell from Bucky's face that he wasn't too face off. Their hips met in a frenzy, bones clanking against each other when one of them would mess up the tempo. His hand came to rest by the junction between leg and thigh and his thumb pressed over her clit again, pushing hard and rolling it in circles. She let out her loudest moan then, making him respond with a similar sound when she bucked up against him. She could feel it coming and her hips started to move in the circular motion she familiarized with 'orgasm'. She said softly in his ear'I'm so close', and he responded with a faster hand on her clit and steadier pumping motions. Soon his body shivered and he quickly pulled out, spilling his seed on her lower stomach, the heat of it making her squirm a bit. Now free from his weight, she shifted her hips more to move in tune with the thumb on her core. They matched up and she felt the released come. Hands gripping the blankets under her she hips came off the bed and twitched in the air as she felt her body release the pressure.

Her hips met the bed with a bounce and she picked up her stockings from earlier to wipe up the mess Bucky made. He was sitting on the bed, leaning his back against the wall. She sat beside him and put her head on his shoulder, he followed her movement by placing his head on top of hers.

 

 

**end of shameless smut**

 

 

They sat in silence for some time, both carrying a dopey smile on their lips and humming gently. Darcy yawned again and checked the time. 

"Stay the night?" she asked so softly it was almost a whisper. Bucky gave her a beaming smile, turning off the light first before he crawled under the blankets with her. He captured her in an embrace that made her melt. He was so gentle and caring, she would certainly miss him while he was gone. 

He hummed into her hair, both of them facing the wall and mumbled something she didn't quite catch. 

"Hmm?" she said half asleep, satisfied with their activities.

"I..." he started, she noticed he sounded almost scared. 

"You?" she followed up with, eyes frowning slightly despite her happy mood.

"I think I love you Darcy Lewis." He said, voice shaking slightly with fear. 

She brought her hand up behind her to catch his cheek and she knew he would be able to hear the smile on her lips, announcing:

"I think I love you too Bucky Barnes."

She felt him smile and he dug his face into her neck, giving her a tight hug, She fell asleep in his arms that night, both content and finally happy with the world.

Even when she woke up alone the next morning with her camera out and a note scribbled from her soldier she still couldn't stop smiling. It would be hard to knock her down now, finally things were looking up for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just you wait Darcy.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY. I'm sorry.

Once Steve and the Howling Commandos left the camp, she would occasionally get letters from Bucky, and she kept them all with her photographs, occasionally rereading them when she needed a pick me up. The last year had flown by. It was the end of April, 1944, and she was busy as all hell, both trying to help Howard test and perfect the newer weapons he was designing and try and figure out a gauntlet or container that would be able to handle the power of the Tessarect – since she was already aware that it was capable of manipulating organic matter. She knew she needed to hold it or contain it if she was going to find a way to use it to get home. 

In her spare time she was drafting equations that were inspired from Jane and Erik’s theories about linear time travel – she was making headway but there was a major issue in her calculations: How was she going to end up where she needed to be? What if her preliminary calculations were wrong and she ended up two years earlier or ten years later than she should? All she could do was continue working on her theorems and hope to holy hell that she remembered enough from school and Jane regarding the laws of physics.

Howard was insufferable though. Driving her mental, obviously not understanding the level of stress that she was under due to her unique circumstance. He would play little pranks in the lab, and ruined about 3 of her shirts by mixing a couple of volatile substances together and telling her to move them across the room or do testing. He’d howl and slap her on the back, shouting “Gotchya Rosie!” while she would simply tighten her lips and groan inwardly. He even lit her hair on fire by accident and now she had a random chunk of hair about 6 inches shorter than the rest. Thankfully she had been pulling it back for a while now and it blended seamlessly. Still. Howard had messed with her hair so there needed to be retaliation. 

Which is why Howard had to draw on one of his eyebrows until it grew back. She knew a couple of concoctions herself, and her payback was ‘encouraging’ a reaction between the electric lubricating substance he was designing and his eyebrow wax. Because yes, Howard was the sort of man to groom his facial hair with wax.

Needless to say, calling a truce was in order and Darcy was thankful. She appreciated the gesture of trying to take her mind off of things, but the recovery of the Tessarect was coming up quickly according to the timeline she remembered. She had to twist Peggy’s arm to escort her to the final Hydra location once it was discovered, since both Howard and Erskine before he passed admitted that Darcy knew about the cube in a way that they would never quite comprehend so she was a necessary advantage.

Another thing she was doing in her free time was writing a novel of a letter to Howard in case she managed to get ahold of the Tessarect either successfully or unsuccessfully. In it she wrote about her meeting Erskine and how she was from the future. She made no mention of being his granddaughter, assuming that he would already be skeptical of her claims and it honestly sounded like some old cliché from the Twilight Zone so she avoided it. She feared that her iPhone would perhaps end up in the wrong hands should she take it with her when she left with Peggy, so she would be gifting it to Howard. She recognized that some of his personal technology, like Tony’s AI program Jarvis and his touch sensitive hologram programs would probably be far more successful with the knowledge her tiny phone held.

So she was aiding her family’s success in a minor way – but she already altered the past by rescuing Bucky and by travelling with an Alien hitchhiker, giving Hydra access to highly advanced technology and so far, _she hoped_ , nothing big seemed to have changed. She also was demanding that he not fly to the Pentagon. Ever. She didn’t want to give him specific dates, so in a roundabout way she attempted to warn him of his death by fatal plane crash by requesting he never ever do so. He was one of her closest friends, and regardless of their relation – Howard was a good person. After all, his plane crash would only extend his life by a few years since he was already old when the event happened. 

Admittedly, her care level had lessened the closer and closer she got to the end of her timeline. She remembered how bad the movie _The Butterfly Effect_ was, it made no sense. She hoped that she would be able to talk to meet up with him again in the future should everything work out in her favor.

“Rosie?” she heard, followed by a light tapping on her desk. She knew it was Howard before she looked up, he was the only one who ever called her ‘Rosie’. She nodded at him, yawning over her paperwork and trying to hide the letter she was writing to him.

He looked forlorn, a little distressed. “What’s wrong Howie?” she asked, smiling big and using her own nickname for him. “Two can play at that game”, she had informed Howard when he first called her ‘Rosie’.

He couldn’t even look her in the eye. Her smile faded and a small frown settled on her brow.

“Uh…Peggy?” he called out, turning behind him and looking at the woman who was standing in the doorway. She frowned harder, looking at Peggy’s stoic face back to Howard’s.

Peggy’s lips tightened and she looked down. In her shaking hand she held a letter. She finally caught Darcy’s eye, and she stood up to look at the woman, resting her hands on the desk in front of her.

“Peg? Howie? What the hell is going on, you’re both freaking me out.” She said as evenly as she could with her heart beating out of her throat. She hated bad news and she knew she was going to be receiving some. She could feel the bile creeping up as she tried her best to stay calm. What kind of news could be bad? She was denied access to the recovery mission on the Tessarect? They found paperwork from Erskine’s files that admitted she was a time travelling woman?

Peggy walked up to the desk and Howard sat down, facing away from her with his head down. Peggy took a deep breath and began speaking.

“Captain America and the Howling Commandos were successful in locating and capturing Arnim Zola in the Alps following a raid in Denmark.” She said evenly, giving Darcy a look that was hard to read.

Darcy nodded and raised an eyebrow, otherwise making no noise.

“Unfortunately there was a casualty,” she paused, taking a gulp before continuing and avoiding Darcy’s eyes. “James Buchanan Barnes was killed in action following hostile retaliation from the members of Hydra present on the train.” She finished by holding her hands together behind her back.

Darcy was in shock. Her mouth opened and she stared into space, noise around her becoming hazy and her vision spun. She sat back down in the chair, silent. She could only think to herself. Was Bucky always meant to die? What was the point of saving him in Austria if death was just going to take him away a year later?

“How did he die?” She asked quietly, noting that the two gave each other a look before answering her.

“Sargent Barnes lost his footing and fell out of the train. Captain America did his best to protect his men but Hydra proved to be resilient.” Peggy answered.

Darcy held back a choking noise. So not only did Bucky still die, but he died _in front_ of Steve and most likely had a more painful end to his life because of her involvement. The tears were burning and she had to swallow and breathe deep for a couple of minutes so she wouldn’t make a scene. She stood back up and nodded to the two of them.

“Thank you for the information. Take whatever funds I have piling up in my savings Howard,” she nodded to the man, “and please forward them to his mother and sister in Brooklyn.” Peggy frowned at her declaration. 

“Rose, I know you and Sargent Barnes were…close, but you should take the time to process this information before making any rash decisions.”

“Pegs, I know you’re trying to help, but the only way we are going to help me is by taking care of his mum and sister. They were all he had and he spoke about taking care of them after the war. He’s dead now –“she stopped, swallowing bile that tried to escape, “so I’ll take it upon myself to assist them. I understand there is a sizeable amount from my working with the US Army for nearly 2 years?” she asked Howard, who nodded. She picked up her things from the desk and nodded, heading to the door.

“Thank you. Please write me a receipt, I need to be alone right now. Thank you for telling me. Peggy, inform Zola that we know about the _Valkyrie_ and that we need the final base location. After I pack my bag we should head out.” Darcy spilled out some very confidential information and she didn’t care. Obviously nothing she said or did mattered because she apparently could only delay fate, not deter it. 

She stalked down the hallway and heard the clicking of Peggy’s heels running up to catch her. She felt the woman’s hand on her arm and stopped to listen to what she had to say. 

“Rose, what is the Valkyrie? How do you know about it? Why should we tell Zola?” she asked quickly, and Darcy took a breath before answering. 

“The Valkyrie is a plane that Schmidt is going to use to try and blow up New York. It’s going to be stuffed with Missiles. I know about it from Erskine and from plans I now realize now are the blue prints for the ship from the Austria base. You tell Zola because if we know about that, we know more than he thinks we know. This will give us the upper hand.” She said calmly. Well, calm enough given her situation.

Peggy seemed astonished. Darcy gave the woman a look that said ‘well? Get going!’ and Peggy nodded before turning around and rushing down the hall. Darcy continued her path to her little truck house and slammed the door when she got inside, locking it and staring around. All she could think about was her time with Bucky. The diner, the dancing on the pier, their last night together. She let the tears fall. 

She leaned against the door and sank down to the floor, putting her head in-between her knees to sob uncontrollably, feeling her heart break each time she took a moment to try and calm down. She knew she was reckless for allowing herself to fall for a guy from the 40s when her time here was unknown and hopefully brief. She was reckless for allowing him to get close to her and allow herself to get swept off her feet. She was upset with herself, yes. But she wasn’t even upset with herself because she didn’t get to see Bucky again. 

She was upset with herself because she had manipulated the past for her own selfish reasons and the only person who truly paid for the damage was Steve Rogers. It’s one thing being unable to save your best friend when he’s being held hostage in a building you don’t know well. It’s another thing watching your best friend fall to his death because he literally fell through your fingers. Instead of finding out after the fact that Bucky was KIA in a building fire, Steve had to watch Bucky die.

She was so selfish. 

She grabbed the nearest paper to her and crumpled it up, throwing it at the wall opposite from her. She got up and pathetically crumbled onto her bed, cramming her face into her pillow as she cried herself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you I was sorry. 
> 
> I think I'm only going to make this story have a couple more chapters and then make it a series since there is SO MUCH more for me to write.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update -- I was camping with my family for 4 days and thought would have cell reception and I did NOT.

As soon as she woke up from her good cry, she had been restless. Working on equations, memorizing theorems and finalizing the prototype of her ‘gauntlet’ that she felt was capable of harnessing the cube’s power. She wasn’t sure it would hold it, but she felt that since it only took a moment to slip back in time, it would only take a moment to return. The preliminary tests gave her positive results, but of five experiments, one ended very badly for the glove. She decided that the possibility of losing a hand was worth getting back to the future. She was tired, exhausted with the past.

No wireless internet, no pop tarts, no properly fitting bras. No Bucky. What was the point? She couldn’t stay here with her young grandfather and his cool friend Peggy. She certainly couldn’t stay with Steve, his grim frozen future inevitable. If she would survive the crash she’d simply let herself get frozen and live in hiding for 2 years until Loki stormed New York, but she knew better. It was shocking enough that a super soldier lived under the ice for 70 years, never mind her.

She was packed and in the backseat of a truck with Peggy and Colonel Phillips, heading to Steve’s location. Turns out that Zola couldn’t keep a secret, and spilled the entrance to the secret base. Mind you, since they already knew about the Valkyrie, he was more than willing to protect himself from being charged with having weapons of mass destruction built under his watch for Schmidt.

Before Darcy got in the plane with her current passengers and Howard as pilot, she sat in the co-pilots chair to stay away from Peggy and Phillips pitiful stares. It was fairly obvious to everyone that she and Bucky were _close_ , and that his death took a toll on her. She couldn’t take the stares however, so she was fine settling in the cockpit with a man that was focused on the skies and not who was inside. She hadn't spoken more than a few words to any of them since she was informed of Bucky's death.

She looked outside, only seeing occasional lights of the bigger buildings around the airport as they were landing. Howard, genius flyer that he was, got on the ground with barely a bump. Darcy waited until Peggy and Phillips disembarked, before slowly lifting out of her seat and walking outside, taking in the fresh air, letting it wash over her. As she stood on the top of the airport stairs, she felt Howard's hand rest on her right shoulder. His thumb was rubbing the back of her neck and he placed a loving kiss on the top of her head.

"Don't worry Rosie, it'll get better." He said softly, and all she could do was nod. They walked down the steps and slowly walked side by side to the airport where there would be a car waiting for them to take the group to Steve. She had already expressed to Peggy that she couldn't talk to him - wouldn't. Once they had established a plan of attack she would simply work around theirs. They all knew where the Valkyrie was, the real trick was just getting _onto_ it. 

Once they arrived to Steve’s location, the meeting was in action immediately and Darcy merely sat drifted through it. Her head was swimming with the idea of going home and getting away from all the pain of missing the people she loved like Jane and Erik, even Thor. The homesick feeling had just become worse since Bucky’s death and she knew that if she didn’t get some amount of happy in her life she would change permanently for the worse. Each day in this world was another chip on her shoulder. 

Colonel Phillips had informed her of her purpose during the plan of attack. She would be equipped with a soldier’s uniform and follow Steve on a bike into the belly of the beast before breaking off once he had gathered the attention of the Hydra soldiers and entering the secret base through a false door on the outer side of the building that Zola had informed them of. She was going to have to climb through a couple of vents, thankfully her size would permit her entry and she knew that was the only reason why the Colonel allowed her to join the Captain on his assault.

Thankfully she already knew how to ride a motorcycle. She was in no way an expert or a flashy rider, her knowledge was obtained through a ‘bad boy’ she dated in college who thought girls on bikes were hot. She knew how to start the damn thing, stay on and stay steady. Anything beyond that would not be happening. She needed to make it to the ship in one piece and use her specialized unit to obtain the cube and bring it out of the ship. Well, that was Colonel Phillips plan, unaware that Darcy had actually fashioned a weapon that hopefully would use the Alien’s communicator to through her through the same wormhole she came through.

After the debriefing, Steve tried to talk to Darcy. She simply stood up, stuck her open palm up with one hand and used the other to make a ‘shh’ face, shaking her head. The look he gave her was heartbreaking. She knew that he needed someone to talk to about Bucky, and she knew he was going to apologize to her, something that she could never allow him to do. Especially since it was technically her fault that Bucky died. And she needed to be strong to accomplish her task. Any conversations had with Peggy or Howard would make her decision harder to make, and honestly any discussion held with Steve would certainly end in tears.

She knew her attitude was leaving a sour taste in her friend’s mouths, but part of her thought it would make it easier for them. Whether she died or successfully flew forward, they certainly would never see Darcy again. Darcy had finally completed her letter to Howard and slid it into a folder left on her dresser in her tour before they left for the Alps. Hoping he would read it eventually, and forgive her for lying to him for so long. She had also packed everything she gained during her trip to the past and left it lying on her cot, with instructions for Howard on what to do with them. Her military bank account was depleted, all funds sent to the remaining Barnes family – sent anonymously, of course.

She was surprised how calm she was about the upcoming day. She knew she was crazy for attempting what she was about to do, but sleep came easy to her – the excitement of possibly going home made it easy for her to understand the importance of rest.

When she woke up the next morning, everyone was in full gear ready for action. She followed Steve to the hall, eavesdropping on him discussing the attack plan briefly for a final time with Peggy. She heard where the bikes where being kept so Steve could get his equipped. She noticed that his circled shield seemed to shine more magnificently than ever. Maybe it was from the hope she held for the upcoming plans or perhaps he just stood a little taller, truly confident and proud to serve his country. He was confident here, not on shaky feet lost among the future. He was his absolute best here during this time.

When they were in the truck that contained their bikes, Steve spoke to Darcy regardless of her cold nature.

“I know how you feel Rose.” He said, fingers folded together and his head hanging down to stare at the ground.

Her arms were crossed and had one leg crossed over the other. She was finally truly comfortable in the outfit that Peggy had tailored for her. It was a suit that had a coat similar to how Bucky’s Howling Commando jacket was, but in the common olive green color that a majority of uniforms held. Her pants were fitted, with pockets on the backside, thighs and built in holsters where front pockets would usually sit. In the holsters she held two small handguns. She fought to wear the boots she came in, unwilling to leave them behind – they were her favourite after all and she doubted that anyone could make her a pair that fit as well at these did. Her hair had been put into a thick French braid that she put inside the jacket to hide and on her head she wore a bomber hat with googles similar to the ones he wore on his helmet during the Austria rescue. The goggles would not go on until she mounted the bike, they put pressure on her glasses that irritated her nose.

She answered Steve with an “Mmhmm” sound and stared out the small back window of the truck. The gasoline smell from the bikes was making her head spin and she did not want to have a heart to heart with Captain fucking America right now. He continued.

“I know you got close to Bucky, and…I’m sor-“ She cut him off.

“Don’t dare think you’re to blame Steve. Bucky’s death is _not_ on your shoulders.” She spat at him, pointing her finger in his direction. The tone of her voice shocked him and his head jerked up to stare at him. She knew he could see the shine of tears in her eyes and let her continue.

“The only thing you have ever done is try hard and care too much. You did your damndest to save him and I believe you did all you could – he was your best friend. No one blames you but yourself and if you’re going to start that bullshit here with me I’m letting you know I’m not going to listen to it.” The other two soldiers that were present in the back of the truck were doing their best to pretend they weren’t a part of the conversation, refusing to look at the two others.

Steve’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he let out a slight laugh before shaking his head.

“Peggy said the same thing” he said, looking at Darcy. She was silent. “I know I shouldn’t blame myself. But I always will.”

“Because you survived?” Darcy asked, voice very small. He nodded. “Steve please don’t beat yourself up forever. Buck wouldn’t have wanted that. In fact I’m sure he’s rolling in his grave right now that you’re sayin’ this shit.” She said to him, small smile gracing her face.

He let out a big smile at her and laughed for real, but said nothing more. The two soldiers had stood up and started to unlock the trucks doors, and Steve gestured at her to get ready to exit the truck. She pulled the bike out of the rack on the floor of the truck and threw one leg over it. She popped up the kickstand and steadied the bike between her legs to put her goggles on. She double checked all her possessions – hat fastened, hair hidden, boots strapped, and satchel with the glove inside was on. She was ready to go, and as soon as the doors opened and Steve raced out of the truck she wasn’t far behind.

She followed his direct path for a while simply two seconds behind. She watched him garner the attention of a group of soldiers and threw his arm out indicating for her to veer to the right. She rode through the trees, dodging branches and also trying to keep an eye on Steve. She saw him jump off his bike and use it to ram into a bunch of soldiers. 

Badass. 

She managed to get to the side of the base where the false door was supposedly located. She cut the power to the bike and simply used the residual momentum to ride silently up between two tanks and ditched the bike. She approached the post the Zola was the door was near and started searching for the handle. 

Her hand caught the edge of the door and she let out a breath of success. Quickly managing to open the door she could hear the screams from the soldiers as Steve laid a beat down on them. She slipped in a shut the door, instantly ripping off the vent panel at her shoulders and grunting as she climbed in.

“Yippee ki yay motherfucker” she whispered to herself with the spirit of John McClane. She crawled on her elbows and made the two necessary turns to the hangar and managed to magnificently punch out the vent in front of her and crawl out on her hands before coming to her feet. She would have to send flowers to Zola’s grave or something, because he told them the truth. She put her goggles back on her head and looked around.

There in front of her was the _Valkyrie_. Doors open and waiting for entry, she booked it, heeled boots clacking loudly. She looked around the hangar before entering, letting out a swift “shit” when she looked up to the control room and saw the back of Johann’s head, glowing a brilliant red in the lights. He looked to be in the middle of a villain’s monologue, so she assumed Steve had been captured and was getting put through the grueling task of listening to Johann brag about his amazing plan. 

She entered the ship rolling her eyes. His over confidence would be the exact reason why he was about to lose the war. She clunked around the ship, memorized by the lack of security the Red Skull had for his possessions. She finally found what she would refer to as ‘the cockpit’, even though it was a rather large room on the plane and there beside the controls – the Tessarect. 

She slowed down, hesitant to run up to the cube. As she got closer to the cube she was opening her bag, pulling out what was inside and simply holding the gauntlet she fashioned. She held it up to the Tessarect and watched the glove shake and power up, and there was a blue hazy light seeping out of the cube. She ripped the glove back. 

“Oka…okay that seemed okay” Darcy said to herself, eyes wide and brow sweaty. She slid the gauntlet on and took another step to the cube when she heard the click of a trigger. She spun around to face Johann Schmidt.

“Shit.” She let out, face contorted into one of panic. The Red Skull frowned at her and she took a step back, a step closer to the cube, with her hands up. “What’s up man?” She said lamely, attempting to stall him. He gave her an inquisitive look, cluing in that she was a woman.

“Ah, the young lady from Austria.” He sneered at her, eyes getting smaller. She begged him not to remember her snarky date comment. Knowing him though, and her luck, he did. “What are you doing here?” He demanded, and his voice made her recoil. She took another step back with her hands up.

“Oh y’no, hangin’ out. Just waiting for dinner.” She replied, flashing a quick look over her shoulder to make sure she didn’t bump into the machine holding the cube.  
She wished she had her camera to snap a shot of his face. It would be burned into her memory forever, because it was ridiculous. His fault really, for having no skin, but it would have been better if she didn’t laugh. She threw her gauntlet free hand to her mouth and saw him aim his gun at her more severely than before.

“That shall be your last laugh woman, enjoy death” and Darcy spun, hearing the bang of the gun she grabbed the Tessarect with her gloved hand and was swallowed by a bright blue light, Johann managed to grab her messenger bag but the strap gave away and was left behind. 

Darcy was in pain, it felt like her body was being ripped apart into a million pieces and was being thrown around in a dryer full of rocks. Everything burned and there was a powerful buzzing in her head. She had no idea if this was what she went through when she went backwards, but she was grateful she had passed out for the trip. She didn’t seem to be so lucky this time. If she had her stomach together long enough she was sure she would vomit.

Then she hit the ground. Or something. Quite possibly the ground. She threw up her stomach contents immediately and laid beside her puke, trying to steady her vision and stop the nausea. Lying on her back she brought her gauntlet hand up to her face, taking a look at the damage. Her hand was numb and she unlatched the fasteners on the glove and threw it away from her. She heard the gauntlet ricochet against something and she sat up to take a look around.

She was in a metal room, four walls and a ceiling, with a single door as an entrance. The cube was floating on a stand, turning silently in a mesmerizing fashion. She got herself up to her feet and took it easy, walking slowly to the door to knock on the door once she realized there was no knob to exit the room.

“Uh…Hello?” a muffled male voice was heard on the other side.

“Hiii-eeee” Darcy chimed, waving her fingers even though whoever was on the other side couldn’t see. “Am I in America?” She asked the stranger.

“Um…” whispered was had and Darcy figured he was asking a partner. “Why”

“Because I would be _so_ happy if this was America and not Europe. And also that pop tarts are a thing. Are pop tarts a thing?” She asked through the door again, this time resting her forehead on the door. She heard loud shoes on metal flooring and the door handle clicked. She stepped back and grabbed a guns handle in her holster and prepared herself with the possibility of shooting.  
“Miss Lewis?” She heard as the door got a bit wider.

“Nick?” She said, voice cracking a bit. The door opened entirely and she was faced with Nick Fury and Maria Hill, arms crossed and frowning at her. 

“Oh my god. Omigod” she said, repeating it a couple more times for good measure. She hadn’t moved yet. “What year is it?” she asked quietly, staring into Nick’s one eye and darting back to Maria.

“What year do you want to hear Miss Lewis?” Fury asked, small cocky smile plastered on his face.

She walked out of the room and stopped the two guards from closing the door. “I barfed in there guys, someone’s gunna wanna clean it before sealing that door.” She directed her attention to Fury once more, eyes desperate. Her head was still spinning from the travelling.

“It’s 2012 Lewis. 4 days after the attack on New York”. Maria said to her, firm and direct. Darcy burst into tears. It worked. She was back home.

She held her face in her hands and let the tears out. Her heart soared and her stomach was doing spins again. She could hear Fury talking about discussing with her what happened, where she went, how she got back, all things she just answered “okay” too. She followed Fury and Hill once she calmed down a bit more, she was staring out the window of the shield building she must’ve landed in as she undid her hat and goggles, holding them in her hands as the swung with each step she took.

Fury, Hill and Darcy all entered an elevator and he stopped any others from joining them. He pressed the bottom level, 4 floors down and once they started going Nick spoke.

“I have something for you Lewis” Fury said, and he pulled something out of his inner coat pocket. It was a stained, old letter. She grabbed it and flipped it around to see who it was addressed too. 

It was addressed to her.

She gave Nick a look of confusion and he said “I would read it at home. I’ve already read it.” He said, looking forward.

“You read my mail?” She asked, mildly offended which was hilarious since she just popped up in a very restricted part of shield with two guns and an outfit that was 70 years old.

“Shield has been holding onto that letter for nearly 50 years. Of course we read your mail. Especially since you weren’t even born when it was written.” He said with a bit of humour in his voice. If Maria didn’t know what he was talking about she didn’t make it known. The elevator opened, Nick and Maria taking the lead again. Darcy jogged to keep up with them. 

“Where are we going?” She asked, out of breath from the recent events. They stopped outside a door to the outside and Fury gazed outward. 

“Before you have a very long sit down and explain everything that you’ve just muddled up with your trip to the past Lewis, you need to fix the broken man outside.” He nodded his head to something outside. Darcy followed his line of vision and settled on a bench facing the gardens with a very broad back facing back at her. The person moping on the bench sat up a bit straighter and looked over to his right and Darcy knew immediately it was Steve.

“Ah..” Darcy let out.

“Once you disappeared, Steve went a bit manic and passed out. When he woke up, he said he knew where you went, who you were. Only he called you Rose.” Fury said, still looking ahead. 

Darcy nodded her head and pointed at Steve. 

“Want me to go talk to him? Not going to lie, this is going to be a weird conversation.” And she grimaced lightly at what was about to go down. Fury nodded.

“We can’t have Captain America compromised Lewis, you did this – go fix it.” Darcy glanced over at Maria and the older lady rolled her eyes and softly gestured in Steve’s direction. Darcy took a deep breath and opened the door, heading towards her old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think one more chapter for this first part of the series and then we'll start a new one :)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet.

The short distance to the bench was the longest walk Darcy felt she had ever been on. Her feet became heavier with every step she took, and her hands were uncomfortably warm. She stuffed her old letter from Fury in her pocket and then wiped the sweat on her pants and left a damp mark on each thigh before finally stopping behind Steve.

How was she going to open the conversation? She had seriously just messed around with time and honestly if anyone in the world would notice her meddling, it would be Steve. 

Unable to find the words, she simply coughed behind him and he jolted, turning around. When his eyes hit hers his became glassy, and he stood up quickly, walking around the bench to embrace Darcy in a tight hug. She reciprocated, eyes welling up and she found it hard to breathe. The two remain unmoved for an extended period. When they finally broke apart, Steve had put his hands on either side of her face, moving down to her shoulders before settling both on her elbows. Darcy put her hands on Steve’s arms, and Steve finally spoke.

“Are you okay?” 

She gave him a watery glance and her lip quivered. She nodded to him, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I don’t know what happened, but I have been recovering from an impressive headache.” He tried to chuckle but the laughter was empty. “One second you were hitting the ground, the next I was seeing things flash before my eyes and I collapsed. Thor woke me up shortly afterwards and my memory has been foggy since.” He admitted to her, guiding the two of them to sit on the bench. She simply nodded in understanding.

“Steve, who do you remember me as?” She asked.

He thought with a furrowed brow. “I remember you as Darcy. Sarcastic, mildly condescending, comical and honest. I also remember you as Rose, the bombshell heroine from Brooklyn and Austria, Howard Stark’s niece, and Buck—“he paused, “- a good friend. You were -- _are_ a good friend.”

He tilted his head back and forth searching for the words. “Before the fall, you were just one person. But when I woke up I could suddenly remember you from the past.” Silence overcame them.

“Hmm” Darcy said. “Well I never said I was an expert at time travel. Actually, I’ve never said I was an expert in anything honestly.” Steve gave her a small smile.

“Steve, I wish I could tell you what happened. But I don’t know. I fell off a building and woke up in Norway, 1942 and met Dr. Erskine and then…you pretty much know what happened after that.” She shrugged her shoulders. Another bout of silence overtook them. They looked ahead to watch the sun beginning to set.

“So when you met Erskine, you knew I would be Captain America, didn’t you?” Steve suddenly asked, pieces coming together. She smiled out to the distance and smiled. “Hey…that grenade!” he pushed her slightly and she laughed in return.

“Reelaax.” She said to him, “I knew it was fake. And Phillips wasn’t convinced until then! So you’re welcome!” Steve gave her another smile and he let his hand settle on her shoulder and rubbed her with his thumb.

“Rose…Darcy.” He corrected after she cringed at her oldies name, “I’m sorry this happened to you. But if I’m going to be honest, you going through it makes be believe I can make it in this time.” He admitted to her, voice dropping a bit at the end. “It’s been hard but knowing…knowing I have you as a friend who knows what I’ve been through really helps. I’m glad you made it back to this time.” 

She leaned over and his hand drifted to her other shoulder as she rested her head on his. Still wearing her uniform from their last mission together, she felt as if the weight of the world was lifting off her shoulders. He must know that Bucky had was going to die and that she tried her best. They wouldn’t – couldn’t talk about their deceased friend until more time had passed. After all, for the two of them it had still only been a short while since Bucky had passed away, not the 70 years everyone else had gone through. But Steve’s admission helped ease her heart. If he blamed her for anything he would have said something, she was sure of that. He wore his heart on his sleeve.

“By the way Darce,” he said after the sun had settled a bit more. Darcy checked his watch and noticed that they had been sitting on the bench together for nearly an hour in complete silence. “Mm?” she hummed, eyes suddenly hard to keep open all the way.

“What happened with you on the Valkyrie? I remember finding your ripped bag and Johann said he killed you.” Oh, Darcy thought. How ridiculous he was.

“Uh…I was supposed to make a gauntlet to contain the Tessarect, and instead I made something to harness the warping ability and wound up here. Like…2 hours ago.” He looked back in shock and finally took notice of her outfit. 

“Holy crow Darcy! You really did just come home! You still smell like gunpowder!” he said in shock, analyzing her outfit in disbelief, unsure of how he missed it. His eyes drifted to something sticking out of her pocket. He gave a confused nod to the item in question and asked what it was.

Darcy’s hand flew to her pocket. Oh! Her letter! She ripped it out of her pocket and started to open it beside Steve. 

It was from Howard. Her heart skipped when she saw the date – 1945. She gave him pretty firm instructions on the envelope and she was glad that for _once_ he listened to her. She was both pleased and miffed that he chose to listen when she wasn’t present but she let it slide.

Howard’s gorgeous penmanship filled the paper. Even though she had literally seen the man the day before, she knew her next encounter with him would be confusing and different. OH god! She though, he must be like 90 years old now if he was still alive – did he have a massive headache from her time travel too? She would seek him out once she spoke with Fury after her conversation with Steve.

She gave Steve a look and he gave her a glance of encouragement and so she started to read out loud.

_`Rosie,_

_The war is over and I just read your letter. Well, if I’m going to be honest, I read your letter a couple bottles of whiskey ago. Your claims are bold, yet I know nothing against what you say to argue with someone who hopefully is reading this._

_Your device is astonishing. I do not know how it works and from what you have elaborated on what it does this will change the world. First I need to figure out how to make it work._

_I sincerely hope you get ahold of this message. As it stands, you have been listed as Missing in Action with Steven Rogers. He heroically saved New York from the Nazi’s by sacrificing himself to take control of the Valkyrie. I’m sure you knew that. Thanks for the warning girl._

_Sergeant Barnes’ family have been granted the access to your military funds. You did a lot of good with that, his sister is married and pregnant now. You should look her up._

Now Rosie.

There was a spill of something on the paper and a few pen blots here. He was clearly drunk when he wrote the letter.

_Your warning worries me. As you wish, I will not fly to the Pentagon. Ever. Hopefully I will find out why and we can have a meal or two if I make it to a hundred. By then I am sure I will have perfected how to stop aging and live forever._

Darcy could hear his shrewd voice over her own as she read the letter out and she laughed at how his character was so vividly painted in her mind through his words.

_Please know we miss you. I wish you had been more honest about everything, it was not fair you held this burden on your shoulders._

_I am not going to continue on too much, a long letter always holds more secrets and never makes it to the people that should get it._

_Be sure to call me up when you land doll, we can have some fondue._

_Howie._

She had tears falling on her cheeks from both sadness and glee, and she folded the letter back up and stuffed it in her pocket. She tried to calm her breathing down and looked up at Steve but he had a rather dark look on his face. He addressed her stare with a look of pity.

She shook her head and could feel the tears well up as her lip quivered. “There won’t be any fondue, will there.” She asked quietly.

“December, 1991. Car accident.” He replied, holding her tighter when the words came out of his mouth. 

Her tears fell, warm against the breeze that had picked up outside. She sniffled her nose and started making strange shapes with her mouth to avoid breaking out into full sobs. She should have known better. Bucky didn’t survive her attempts, so why would Howard. 

“I –“ her voiced cracked and Steve started to rub her back. “I figured I would at least try…” she finished weakly. He nodded in agreement.

After she managed to calm down, she ran her hand through her hair and wiped her nose with her sleeve. She was starving.

“I’m starving.” She announced, calm enough to lighten the mood a bit. She was getting rather depressed of all the news she was receiving. “I want something deep fried and unhealthy. Or a wrap. Ever had shawarma?” she asked Steve, standing up and brushing off nonexistent flaws off her uniform. She was known for breaking the mood, but Steve’s hearty laughter took her by surprise. She had never seen him like this. He stood up and patted her arm.

“Man, you hate to admit it but you and your dad are awfully alike!” He said, bringing up a finger to his eye to wipe away a fake tear. 

“What?” Darcy asked as the two headed toward the building. 

“Naw, I’ll have to tell you later.” He put his hands in his pocket.

“What’s so funny about shawama?” She said with an elated voice. “You’re just scared because it’s not boiled!” she alleged, pointing an accusatory finger at him. He shook his head and held the door open for her to walk through. She crossed the threshold and continued up the stairs with her old friend, arguing about food.

She may not know what the future held for her now, but she was glad that she had made it home and still had Steve. There were lots of things that solidified friendships for life, she was positive that fighting in a war and surviving a 70 year time jump together was one of them.

She wished that her life would take the chance to be normal. But if she had learned anything in her short life, wishes never do come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Series is going to be called "Causality". Next part in the series is going to be named something. What? I don't know. Consciousness possibly? 
> 
> But it'll probably be up tomorrow. I cut out a few things in this chapter to start off the next part strong. Like Peggy, Coulson, Darcy's discussion with shield about her time travelling -- her and Steve healing were all I wanted here. Next series will discuss things like:
> 
> * Darcy accepting Stark heritage
> 
> * Thor 2
> 
> * Captain America 2
> 
> Hope to see you there!


End file.
